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Scorelines matter, but what happened after the final whistle on Saturday night felt as important as the action that came before. Long after the end of the Houston Dash's first match, the players were still on the field, signing autographs and taking photographs with hundreds of fans who had stayed behind to meet them.
Four months to the day after BBVA Compass Stadium held the official announcement that Houston would be the location of the National Women's Soccer League's first expansion franchise, the arena hosted the brand-new team's inaugural match.
That the visiting Portland Thorns FC secured a 1-0 victory hardly seemed too significant; both on and off the field this was a promising start for the Dash, who are aiming to form a deep bond with the community as well as soar in the standings.
The players were lively and the fans were loud. Goalkeeper and captain Erin McLeod took to the mic after the coin toss with a rallying cry, urging the crowd to get behind their side. They did not need a second invitation, creating a buoyant atmosphere that fed off the chances and feisty challenges during an entertaining, hard-fought match.
- RECAP: Dash 0, Portland Thorns FC 1
The stadium's capacity for Dash fixtures will normally be restricted to 7,000 but demand for this event prompted the club to open part of the upper bowl. The attendance was 8,097—almost double the average regular season figure league-wide in 2013.
"You have a crowd like this, a community coming out to support them, this is what it's all about," said NWSL executive director Cheryl Bailey, who was at the match. "You can see these players have stayed afterwards, signing autographs, making sure that the girls who come have a great experience."
Without several of their stars, including Alex Morgan, the Thorns could still boast the likes of Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer—the 2013 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year—and prolific Canada striker Christine Sinclair. Yet an inexperienced and under-strength Dash side dominated for long periods and might easily have claimed at least a tie against the reigning NWSL champions.
"I think the performance was exactly what we'd hoped for, I'm a little disappointed we didn't come away with a point to be honest, I felt we were good enough to get a point out of it if not three. Erin came up big on a couple of saves but I thought our chances were every bit as good as theirs and I thought overall we were the better team on the night," said Dash head coach Randy Waldrum.
"For the first game, playing the defending champions and with such a young team out there I'm extremely proud of the effort."
As part of the pre-match festivities, Houston mayor—and Dash season-ticket holder—Annise Parker presented Dynamo and Dash president Chris Canetti with a framed proclamation declaring Saturday to be Dash Day. Dynamo captain Brad Davis, who missed the game away to the New England Revolution earlier in the day because of injury, took part in the ceremonial first goal.
Dash midfielder Jordan Jackson had a couple of early opportunities to score for real but could not find the target. Houston began brightly yet played a large part of the first fifteen minutes with ten women, as first Brittany Bock then Kealia Ohai were hurt and needed treatment on the sidelines.
Both returned, but Bock's left knee sprain forced her off for good after a few minutes. Moments after she was replaced by Mexico international Teresa Noyola, Portland took the lead midway through the half as a long throw was headed into the far corner by Allie Long.
Ohai was ultimately unable to shake off her injury and was withdrawn for Lindsay Elston with 58 minutes gone as the Dash pushed for an equalizer. Portland stepped up their level after the interval and were a greater threat.
Still, the home team never lost heart and with less than 15 minutes left the Dash fashioned their best chance of the match. Noyola floated a superb high ball from the left over the defense to Stephanie Ochs, but she blasted over the bar from eight yards.
Substitute Tiffany McCarty looked set to score from close range in the 89th minute but the Thorns defense scrambled the ball out for a corner. Shortly afterwards an Elston shot from the edge of the area was palmed away by Angerer.
Then came the dramatic conclusion that had the fans on their feet. The impressive center back Osinachi Ohale headed a free kick towards goal and Becky Edwards forced the ball into the net. However, the midfielder was ruled offside, denying her a piece of Dash history against her former club.
- REPLAY: Watch the match on CSN Houston, Sunday at 8 p.m. CT
Still, for a second or two, until the referee's verdict became clear, we got to hear what a roar for a Dash goal sounds like. Mind your eardrums. "When I chased a ball [earlier in the match] and it was offside, I couldn't hear that it was offside because it was so loud. I think that's incredible," said forward Ella Masar.
"The atmosphere was amazing—to walk out and see it packed, the fans loud and engaged and cheering till the last minute, they were with us the whole time," said defender Nikki Washington. "It's one of the best places to play in the world, already."
The Dash next travel to face the Boston Breakers and Seattle Reign FC, returning to BBVA Compass Stadium on May 3 to meet FC Kansas City. Waldrum trusts this curtain-raiser has whetted supporters' appetites.
"I hope we gave the fans what they're looking for. We promised to try and have an exciting team and I think we brought that tonight," he said. "We need the fans to come back, they're an extra player that we need and I hope they all saw enough that they'll buy season tickets and get on back here because we're going to need them every home game."
The assistant referee's flag denied the Dash a dream ending. Still, all in all—and only 121 days into the club's existence—Saturday night was a fine start.
Tom Dart is a contributing writer to HoustonDynamo.com and HoustonDashSoccer.com. Former editor and reporter for The Times of London and reporter for SI.com, Dart currently freelances for The Guardian.


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Talk about making the Bay Area proud. South San Francisco 2nd grader Matteo Lopez beat out more than 107,000 other kids to win the "Doodle 4 Google" competition.
Lopez, 7, won a $15,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for his school, Monte Verde Elementary in San Bruno. He also appeared on the Today Show. Best of all, Lopez's artwork will grace the front page of the Google website Friday.
The theme of this year's contest was "What I'd like to do someday". The winner was selected by a group of judges, many of them are part of Google's "Doodlers" team. There were also 13 guest judges including "Garfield" creator Jim Davis, "SpongeBob SquarePants" producer Paul Tibbitt and children's author Beverly Cleary.
Local news from across Southern California
Lopez called his work "Space Life" and wrote in the description, "I want to wear a space suit, fly in space, walk on the moon and make friends with aliens (on) other planets."

subset: commoncrawl


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Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
phone: +49 (0)341 3550 - 315
fax: +49 (0)341 3550 - 333
e-mail: email@example.com
Daniel Redhead
Postdoctoral Researcher
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 3550 338
E-mail: daniel_redhead@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Office: level 1, room u1.33
Research Interests
I'm an Anthropologist/Psychologist with a broad interest in social hierarchy and social relationships. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, I assess how perceptions of certain trait profiles and dispositions impact an individual's position within groups, and the structure of such groups, over time. In an effort to answer questions related to these topics I've developed a deep and unholy love for social networks. My research thus far has seen me work with data from the lab, university and school classrooms, Canadian Air Cadets, The UK Household Longitudinal Study, children and young adults in state care in rural Transylvania, and the Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia. I am currently helping to develop a longitudinal database among the Mayangna of Nicaragua.


text:
We're Here To Help
Your satisfaction is important to us! Use the form below to email us your questions about products, online orders, store experiences and more.
Order Questions:
If you need help or have any other questions concerning your orders, please email us or call: (920) 743-3137.
120 North 3rd Ave
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 US
Phone: (920) 743-3137


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|CVA Photo Trans N7 - Men laying tracks on Powell Street near Dunlevy in 1889
You'll be surprised at just how much history and remaining heritage there is in this very underappreciated section of old Vancouver. Come and see where Vancouver began.
|VPL# 18746 - Procession along Cordova from St. James Anglican Church in 1900s


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Carnistir (pron. [karˈnistir]) was the Quenya mother-name of Caranthir, the fourth son of Fëanor. The word can be translated as "Red-face". Carnë in Quenya means "red" or "scarlet".[1]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", The names of the Sons of Fëanor with the legend of the fate of Amrod, p. 353


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The two largest American medical device industry trade associations, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA), have both adopted codes of ethics covering interactions with health care professionals (HCPs). For example, the AdvaMed code of ethics describes how companies can structure legitimate consulting agreements with HCPs, prohibits companies from providing entertainment and recreation, prohibits gifts to HCPs with a limited exception for educational items and allows for modest meals under certain circumstances. The AdvaMed Code also covers a number of additional topics, such as company support of third-party educational conferences, sales, promotional and other meetings with HCPs, research and educational grants, charitable donations and the provision of evaluation and demonstration products. The AdvaMed and MDMA codes have been widely adopted by their member companies and have been influential in establishing industry norms of behavior, but the codes are voluntary. Following the association's code is not a condition of membership in the association.
Foreign medical device trade associations have adopted similar codes. For instance, Eucomed, MEDEC and the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA)—the leading associations in Europe, Canada and Australia—have all adopted codes of ethical business practices. The Eucomed and MTAA codes also cover antitrust and competition issues, as well as interactions with HCPs. Although the Eucomed, MEDEC and MTAA code provisions regarding interactions with HCPs are generally similar to the American codes, there are some differences.
One significant difference is that the Eucomed and MTAA codes are mandatory. Adherence to their codes of ethical business practices is a requirement for membership in those organizations. Eucomed's membership includes 25 European national device industry trade associations and thousands of companies. A Eucomed member company must comply with the code of the national association in which it is located and in which the promotion or interaction with an HCP occurred. If a member company is located in a territory that lacks a member national association, or if the national association lacks a code of ethics, then the company must follow the Eucomed Code of Business Practice as a default code.
In addition, both Eucomed and MTAA contain mechanisms to investigate complaints against member companies and to enforce code violations. In June, Eucomed revised its enforcement procedures, which are set out in a document titled "Eucomed Code of Ethical Business Practice: Procedural Framework." Eucomed's procedural framework requires that its national association members include within their national codes of conduct provisions for imposing sanctions for breaches of the national code.
The procedural framework requires that each of the 25-member national associations establish a compliance panel to handle complaints about member companies. Eucomed further "strongly recommends" that the compliance panels have non-industry chairpersons and not consist solely of industry members.
The Eucomed Code Committee reviews each national association's code to ensure that the national code and enforcement provisions "match substantially" the Eucomed Code of Business Practice. In countries where Eucomed does not find the national code to be adequate, or where there is no national association, the Eucomed Compliance Panel handles complaints and assesses sanctions in accordance with the Eucomed Code of Business Practice.
Complaints that a Eucomed member has violated the Eucomed Code of Business Practice or a national association's code could come from customers, consumers, competitors or any other source, and may be lodged either with Eucomed or with the national association. Eucomed refers complaints to the relevant national association, or to its own compliance panel for countries where Eucomed believes there is no adequate national association code. Eucomed's procedural framework states, however, that the dispute resolution procedures shall not preclude companies from seeking recourse in the courts.
The Eucomed procedural framework does not clearly spell out the procedures compliance panels must follow, but sets forth more general guidelines. It states that each member association shall "respect fair procedure rules allowing all parties to be heard fairly." The procedural framework also provides that, in the first instance, a complaint should be handled through mediation if an amicable resolution appears possible. When a complaint cannot be resolved through mediation, each member association's compliance panel renders its decisions and pronounces sanctions on the basis of the national code of conduct, although a compliance panel should suspend activities in case of a formal investigation or enforcement by government authorities.
If a compliance panel concludes that sanctions against a member company are warranted, the procedural framework sets out a number of potential sanctions. These include:
- A written reprimand
- Requiring that the offender take steps to conform to the national code
- Requiring that the offender hire (at its own expense) a third party to inspect and audit the offender's compliance systems
- Requiring the offender to recover items given in connection with product promotion
- Requiring the offender to publish or otherwise disseminate corrective or clarifying statements either to the public or to particular customers
- Withdrawing permission of an offender to use a certification of compliance logo or a similar accreditation
- Publishing the decision or sanctions imposed
- Barring representatives of the offender from holding elected office within Eucomed or within the national member association
- Expelling the company from membership in Eucomed or in the national association.
The Eucomed procedural framework directs national associations to publish final decisions concerning complaints and to provide the company name and details of the case if there is a serious or a repeated breach of the code of conduct. In addition, Eucomed directs its member national associations to publish summaries of main facts and conclusions of decisions that have precedential or interpretive value and are of international interest.
Finally, each member national association must submit an annual report to Eucomed on the association's handling of complaints and sanctions imposed during the prior year.
How vigorously Eucomed and the European national trade associations enforce violations of their codes of business conduct and how frequently complaints will be lodged remain to be seen. Eucomed, however, has created a procedural framework to permit enforcement by European trade associations.


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Holiday-themed web design is a powerful tool to enhance your website this season
Apart from its visual appeal, seasonal web design demonstrates the relevance of your products
The smartest marketers will optimize their websites not only for mobile but also for the holiday season
How have other companies redesigned their homepages for the holidays? Let's take a look.
Log in to comment or register here.
What is Pligg?
Pligg is an open source content management system that lets you easily create your own user-powered website.
Latest Comments


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Course Title: Identify fabric performance and handling requirements
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term2 2015
Course Code: MANU5928C
Course Title: Identify fabric performance and handling requirements
School: 350T Fashion & Textiles
Campus: Brunswick Campus
Program: C3227 - Certificate III in Clothing Production
Course Contact: Peter Bonnell
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99259171
Course Contact Email: email@example.com
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Nominal Hours: 40
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
Course Description
In this course you will acquire the skills and knowledge required to identify fabric performance and handling requirements.
It applies to fabrics used to produce garments and accessories and includes skills and knowledge required to guide the use and handling of fabrics. It includes sourcing information from reference material and industry specialists as well as conducting simple tests to identify fabric types and properties. Identification methods and tests covered by this unit are those where the procedure has already been determined and the range of outcomes established.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title:
LMTCL3001B Identify fabric performance and handling requirements
1 Identify fibres and fabrics
Performance Criteria:
1.1 Appropriate identification methods are selected.
2 Identify fabric performance characteristics
Performance Criteria:
2.1 Key performance characteristics of fabrics are identified and described.
3 Identify fabric handling requirements
Performance Criteria:
3.1 Performance characteristics are used to describe appropriate uses of fabrics.
4 Identify cleaning and labeling requirements
Performance Criteria:
4.1 Care and cleaning requirements of fabrics are identified.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate competency in the above elements
Details of Learning Activities
In general your training is contextualised according to the company's production processes undertaken as a part of the trainees normal work duties.
Your tasks are selected for training and explanation of the task to be undertaken is given by the trainer and the correct procedure discussed. The task is demonstrated by the trainer and underpinning skills and knowledge are developed.
When the trainer is confident you are capable of undertaking the task safely you will then do the task. During this time your work would be monitored by the trainer and questioning and further instruction given.
You will also be given workplace based tasks and activities to complete and practice between visits. Any activities and work performed between visits are reviewed and further training is undertaken accordingly.
RMIT University learning resources are used to support your training
Teaching Schedule
In general you will taught by 5 means within a workplace training context as follows:
Session Content Hours
1 Introduction and overview of course. Basics of skills required and course content 2 hours
2 Use of learning resources and basic skills development 2 hours
3 Complete manuals 4 hours
4 Supervised skill development to competency 30 hours
5 Consolidation of skills and assessment 2 hours
You will practice skills and understanding as a part of your workplace duties between sessions. Activities and work performed between visits are reviewed in the following session and further training is undertaken accordingly.
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
Other Resources
Overview of Assessment
Assessment is ongoing throughout the course and will include three assessments or projects. Assessments will be in the form of tests for underpinning knowledge and demonstration and observation of your abillity to identify fibres and fabrics, fabric performance characteristics, fabric handling requirements and cleaning and labeling requirements. Also by questioning for underpinning knowledge.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment will be in the form of observation and your ability to identify fibres and fabrics, fabric performance characteristics, fabric handling requirements and cleaning and labeling requirements. Also by questioning for underpinning knowledge (you can check the performance criteria above fore more details of these skills.)
Assessment Matrix
Course Overview: Access Course Overview


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*Shipping is FREE for all orders in the 48 contiguous states, except for a handling charge.
America's #1 Direct Source for Pool Supplies!
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Your ZIP Code: 06828 Fairfield Change LocationTo Fairfield Change
Super Floc Out thoroughly settles suspended particles to your pool bottom so they can be easily vacuumed to waste. Super Floc Out will help you remove dead algae, organics, oils and lotions, is safe for all pool and filters, and will not affect pH or other water properties.
How to use:
Pool clarifiers give you crystal clear water, while cloudy water gives swimmers the impression that the water is dirty. Pool owners should be careful to maintain the clarity of their water. But pool water clarity is about more than appearance, cloudy water can be an indication that your pool water isn't as hygienic as it should be. As such, Super Floc Out pool clarifier can actually help prevent the spread of disease by killing bacteria and viruses which lead to such illnesses as ear infections, pinkeye, and even the flu. Plus, it's harder to see in cloudy water making it more dangerous for swimmers as they are more likely to have accidents. Luckily, this pool water clarifier is easy to use and highly effective.
If you're tired of having cloudy pool water, invest in a pool water clarifier like Super Floc Out. You'll only wish you would have done this sooner.
Pool Skimmer Filter Savers
Algaecide 60 Plus


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Sanyo keeps improving their Xacti video-cameras: their Xacti CG65 adds H.264 recording, MPEG-4 advanced video coding at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 frames per second, which uses less memory than previous versions while increasing the image quality. It now can store up to 80 minutes of high quality video in a one Gbyte Secure Digital HC card, and it will perfectly integrate with QuickTime 7 and your iPod to boot. Sanyo also says that they have improved the noise level of its 6 megapixel CCD for both photos and movies. The only drawback is that its weight has increased to 6 ounces from the previous 5.2, which is easily offset by its new lime green color. Anything lime wins points for a compulsive caipirinha drinker like me. A couple more photos after the jump.
Product page [Sanyo Japan via Akihabara News]


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Title: The Dream Thieves (2013)
Series: The Raven Cycle – Book 2
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Extent: 437 pages
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads Description
Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.
One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams. And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.
Ronan is one of the raven boys – a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface – changing everything in its wake.
You guys… I think I'm falling madly in love with this series. I mean, I've always known that it's likely my kind of thing, but I never knew just how much it is my kind of thing. This review might contain spoilers for that first book, so please proceed at your own risk.
The Dream Thieves starts a few weeks after The Raven Boys ended, after Blue and her boys found Cabeswater and all things good and awful about it. There are new villains, new magic being explored, and new challenges to overcome. Ronan, previously a sort-of-side character, takes more of a central role here, with many, many chapters devoted to his POV and his own character development.
"In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys."
Make no mistake: this book is really, really, really slow. The first half mostly introduces new characters or expands on previous characters' arcs, and the pacing doesn't pick up until much later in the book. The plot is even more complex than before, with various characters having their own conflicting goals and motivations to 'have a finger in the pie', so to speak.
I love how Stiefvater develops her characters. All of them are three-dimensional and very well-written, with little details that just endear them to you. The writing is smart and thought-provoking, lending credibility that make the whole book come alive in my head. It's not exactly emotional (yet?), but it is impactful in its own way.
"You really didn't see the sadness or the longing unless you already knew it was there. But that was the trick, wasn't it? Everyone had their disappointment and their baggage; only, some people carried it in their inside pockets and not on their backs."
Now, this book is weird, but it's weird in the best possible way. It answers some questions that I had from the first book, but raises tons more in their place. Rules are bent, twisted and broken. Characters surprised me constantly. Some people might dislike this, but I actually really, really loved it.
In the end, I'm just super glad that this book made me want to continue on with the series. Very often second books fail — the plot becoming too convoluted to follow, the characters turning into unrecognisable versions of themselves — but The Dream Thieves quite easily captured my attention and didn't let go until the final page.


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Opinion: Fill 'Er Up with Fracking?
Charlie Drevna, president of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, on how Washington's fuel standards are increasing the price of cars and gas. Photos: Associated Press
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... oh and electric vehicles specifically an hour ... I'll what the meaning of the American left is really a love affair with the concept of the electric vehicle ... I'm there so I think I'm ... on the left and the sense that some ten conspiracy is present prevented of this wonderful thing from ... being used by all American consumers ... looking forward now that ... it would appear as you look of energy markets that ... the lectern and all is going to have an even tougher time than it said that this point again consumer acceptance ... based on prices of an alternative fuel ... well the size that you and you're absolutely right for signs that and Europe are being traded ... to New York Times ... remember just recently estimated that in your times people requiring that the absolute audacity ... to take an eight minute read ... we called it right into China drivers automobile ... and and in our take on a trip not matter that the moment for Tesla giving ... it to get ahead of second in your times the rights of gays in the United States citizens combination ... when she saying it you know he he he uses his continual government interference ... in the free market ... and really ultimately impact because the console or are we in the refining industry Mr. trying business ... wish for ... deficiencies we support efficiencies are based on science and that and and and and and on some sort of ... of of of bogus kind of ... that's okay now to get to some of the facts here and I mention that there's a ... a new love much tougher competitor to electric cars and that would be a ... natural gas cars in an electric cars get ... a lot of attention but not ... looking at the price of natural gas this is increasingly appealing ... and of what the larger cars which correct me if I'm wrong that ended over last year's that ... to ... a ... miss on the downside sales estimates ... purchases especially on the fleet level on natural gas cars are actually exceeding expectations ... Monday James Hardie bowlers talk about why ... there is a date and a potential inroads ... into heroes of ... natural gas vehicles and a market ... that the reason we've reason being is that good ol' American ingenuity ... going on Archer to your show and a free market ... has been a board Austin to develop the Schiele properties throughout the country both get natural gas and oil ... that was done with ... so far ... a minimum of government interference host a free market is allowing ... this ... tremendous increase in domestic resource is ... there any ability to have a ... live we will consider ... a manufacturing renaissance on my we've never seen in this country before ok so these fracking revolution ... giving us of ... cheap ... fuel to bring the benefit of the lot with manufacturing also interesting on the vehicle side ... last thing we gotta go but up wondering we've seen these ... natural gas vehicles is attractive for foreign purchases of trucking companies ... is this the kind of thing you're going to see the big time level with the consumer soon or no I mean are we in a scene fill up the stations for natural gas like we do for regular gasoline during the days of the fleet level ... you know back then again after the free market didn't turn out so we espouse ... as an industry ... as long as the government doesn't try to pick winners and losers in the marketplace with selected vehicles or natural gas vehicles ... allow the free market while the consumer to make a choice ... I mean my right now the the the the Honda Civic ... gasoline engine is on for an eighteen thousand dollars ... that same Honda Civic Natural gas is the engine is selling for twenty six thousand ... and you know I can get them on she did she do love with with the good old gasoline engine but I'm not saying people should investigate of Singapore entrepreneurs and venture capitalists one invests ... five ... when the market decide what ... with the consumer wants ... sounds good okay thanks for joining us early ...


text:
In the beginning, a primordial soup covered the Earth. In fact, the primordial soup was Earth – a pile of cosmic waste, erupting in spasms caused by meteor crashes and spouting flames of molten sulfur and iron, slowly condensing into a solid planet. All life derives from this primordial soup, science says. But nobody knows exactly how.
We know that the first cyanobacteria appeared in the oceans some 700 million years after the formation of the Earth, which makes it approximately 3.8 billion years ago. But how could a bacterium, an organism so immensely complex, so sophisticated and well adapted, emerge all by itself?
This is one of the big questions, and no one knows the answer. Or rather, perhaps we know in theory, we just haven't conducted the right experiments to confirm the theory yet. At least some veterans in the field of theoretical biology think so, and they have recently triggered a new round of speculations about the origin of life by publishing a paper on the subject in the Open-Access journal Biology Direct.
Autocatalytic Networks
Stuart Kauffman, an american theoretical biologist and complex systems researcher from the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, was one of the authors of the paper. In 1993, Kauffman proposed that the transition from chemistry to biology may have taken place through a network of molecules which mutually catalyzed the production of each other. In this way, every single molecule could be formed by at least one chemical reaction in the network, and each of these reactions would be catalyzed by at least one other molecule in the network. At any given time, the whole network would thus be able to show a primitive form of metabolism, and slowly learn to copy itself.
Physicists Doyne Farmer from Santa Fe Institute, New Mexico, and Steen Rasmussen from the University of Southern Denmark have previously been able to partially create such `autocatalytic networks ́ in the lab. However, it has been quite difficult to demonstrate that the networks are able to learn in a Darwinian sense, that is, to proliferate, create variation and adapt to their surroundings.
In 2010, another co-author of the paper, the Hungarian biologist Erös Szathmáry, published a paper in collaboration with Mauros Santos from the Autonomous University of Barcelona in which they claimed that the larger the autocatalytic network, the more inaccurate the actual copying will become, thus preventing natural selection from working properly. This was a huge disappointment for those who thought that life on Earth could begin with a primitive autocatalytic network with some sort of metabolism, but without a membrane or autonomous reproduction mechanism.
The Chicken or the Egg
The scientific thinking behind the origin of life is nowadays split into two camps. One is the `metabolism first ́ camp, the other `genes first ́, and their interrelation is hardly distinguishable from the chicken or the egg dilemma.
Those who think that metabolism came first, do not believe that RNA-like molecules (which we know are able to copy themselves) could arise out of nowhere, that is, without natural selection having paved the way through a long evolutionary process. Indeed, experiments have shown that it is impossible to synthesize RNA, PNA, TNA or similar replication templates without highly advanced enzymes that facilitate the process.
On the other hand, those who think that genes came first, find it impossible to imagine that a metabolism process could be sufficiently stable over the course of generations without a central genetic control to produce the proper molecules.
Stuart Kauffman's autocatalytic network theory united these opposing positions, because the center of operations in an autocatalytic network is the network itself. But without actual experiments to show that a basic autocatalytic network can be stable long enough for RNA-like templates to develop, it has been difficult to convince biologists that the mystery of the origin of life in the primordial soup has been solved.
According to Kauffman, Santos and Szathmáry, there is yet hope for their model. Prebiotic evolution in a scrap heap of simple molecules is possible. It just isn't sufficient with one single autocatalytic network; it requires multiple autocatalytic networks, separated from each other by independent vessels or cavities (for instance, clay crystals, liposomes, micelles, nanotubes etc.), which interact with one another in a certain way.
Genotype and Phenotype
More specifically, the multiple chemical networks have to consist of an autocatalytic nucleus and a non-autocatalytic periphery made up by products that are continuously produced by the nucleus. In a setup like this, the nucleus is analogous to a genotype (hereditary information), and the periphery is analogous to a phenotype (the appearance of the organism). By the use of simulations, the authors have managed to demonstrate that a system like this is able to show not only true Darwinian selection, but also neutral drift by means of mutations, variations and selection on the basis of interactions with the surroundings.
One important new insight brought by this approach is that there must exist an entire zoological garden of different species of autocatalysts. In its simplest form, a chemical reaction is autocatalytic if the reaction product catalyzes its own formation. But there are many other options. Two reaction products can catalyze a third product, or they can cross catalyze each other. Some chemical products can inhibit others, while other products promote another product, but only if an additional product is formed, and so on. The multiple autocatalytic networks thus create a diversity of reaction times and products that make it possible for the networks to compete for food.
With their new theory, Kauffman, Santos and Szathmáry argue that the `genes first ́ camp is wrong: The autocatalytic network is responsible for the copying, which subsequently leads to a question of how stable such a system has to be for heredity to work. But, as the researchers replied to one of their peer- reviewers, "An understanding of the kinds of chemical organization that could sustain heredity is logically anterior to the problem of the stability of such organizations". In other words: Only through a deep understanding of the first steps of life can we find a clue about the later stages, such as replication through a genetic code.
Mud and Prebiotic Pizzas
Literature on the subject has brought many theories about how protocells, lacking membrane and replication mechanisms, could have evolved. Graham Cairns-Smith from the University of Glasgow imagines that early life developed in simple lumps of clay. Since clay crystals grow and break up continuously, they can carry information (initially only as impurities) through time and space.
Proto-life hidden within the clay crystal cavities would thus be able to survive, and eventually reproduce. According to this theory, the genetic machinery would only be able to take over the functions of the clay crystals, and liberate itself from life in the mud at a far later stage.
Another proposal, put forth by chemist Günther Wächtershäuser, is to place the hotbed of the origin of life in an aquatic environment on the surface of pyrite crystals. Wächtershäuser suggests that a combination of iron, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, bound to the surface of pyrite (Fe2S) deep in the ocean, could eventually develop organic molecules such as sugar. On the surface of this so called `pre-biotic pizza ́, where the pyrite releases useful energy, independent semi-cellular organisms could possibly develop their own chemoautotrophic metabolism and enzymes, due to an abundant flow of minerals and other compounds from the hot springs that formed the pyrite in the first place.
Only much later, when the mechanisms of the processes have gradually grown more complex - by a primitive citric acid cycle, a protective, but selective, lipid membrane and possibly also some sort of cellular division - the organisms would slowly be able to liberate themselves from the pyrite, and take off and colonize the oceans.
In the Elevator
An elevator pitch version of the origin of life would thus sound like this: In the beginning, random chemical compounds bump into each other and form new chemical compounds with new properties. Some of the new compounds are able to catalyze their own production, which creates an exponential growth that will stop only when the food source is depleted. In places where food sources are abundant, in nutrient rich primordial soups or near hydrothermal vents, these autocatalytic reactions persist, and slowly create compounds with other autocatalytic reactions, and after some hundreds of thousands of years create a population of autocatalytic networks, competing for food sources by having different characteristics and special talents.
Some of the autocatalytic networks learn to avoid the constant collapses by linking up with inhibiting reactions and hiding the autocatalytic nucleus in clay crystals or some other form of container in close contact with the food sources. As the eons pass by, these protocells specialize to more specific tasks, for instance by using sunlight to metabolize sulfur, or by producing lipids to create a semipermeable membrane.
Eventually, after many millions of years and billions of random attempts at improvement, these protocells developed a molecular template able to copy itself and its container in a much more reliable way than previously possible. This invention marks a crucial transition in the history of evolution, i.e. the transition to an RNA-based, and later a DNA-based, life form. The invention turns out to be so efficient that all other catalytic networks are eradicated and replaced by genetically programmed - and genetically programming - organisms.
Evolution has also led to other things, for instance cell nuclei, organelles, chemotaxis, photosynthesis, sexual reproduction, multicellular organisms etc. Scientific theses about each one of these inventions would require many more biologists than ever lived. But the very beginning, where chemistry turns into biology by means of autocatalytic networks, can, in principle, be considered demystified. The most important thing missing now are experiments to confirm the theory.
- Vera Vasas, Chrisantha Fernando, Mauro Santos, Stuart Kauffman, Eors Szathmary (2012), Evolution before genes, Biology Direct 2012, 7:1, http://www.biologydirect.com/content/7/1/1
- Vasas V, Szathmáry E, Santos M: Lack of evolvability in self-sustaining autocatalytic networks constraints metabolism-first scenarios for the origin of life, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2010, 107:1470, http://www.pnas.org/content/107/4/1470.
- Stuart A. Kauffman, The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution, Oxford University Press, 1993.
- Bagley RJ, Farmer JD: Spontaneous Emergence of a Metabolism, Artificial Life I, Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity - Proceedings Volumes 1992, 10:93-140.
- Steen Rasmussen, Liaohai Chen, Bärbel M. R. Stadler, Peter F. Stadler, Proto-Organism Kinetics: Evolutionary Dynamics of Lipid Aggregates with Genes and Metabolism, Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere, February 2004, Volume 34, Issue 1-2, pp. 171-180.


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Though he's weathered his share of ups and downs in Hollywood and in life, nothing prepared Colin Farrell for bringing up his eldest son, James, who suffers from Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder. In an interview for the December issue of InStyle, Farrell said he "nearly broke in half" when James, now 9, took his first steps.
"We share in the smallest victories; the first words at age six or seven, being able to feed oneself at 19, and getting the seizures under control," he said. "When James took his first steps at age four, I nearly broke in half!"
Angelman Syndrome is characterized by seizures, jerky movements, sleeping problems, and developmental disability. The seizures can be treated, but there's no cure for the disease. For the first years of James' life, Farrell and Kim Bordenave, James' mother, coped in private.
"It was at the Special Olympics in Shanghai in 2007 that I decided, after consulting with James' mother, that I wanted to talk publicly about the pride and joy I had in our son," he said.
He has enriched my life, but I don't want to minimize the trials that so many families go through; the fear, consternation, frustration, and pain."
Farrell now works with the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome (FAST) to raise awareness and empower other families affected by the disorder.
"When you're the parent of a child with special needs, it's important to feel that you're not alone," he said.
InStyle's December issue also features Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Josh Brolin, and Leighton Meester talking about causes that are close to their hearts.


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You all know I love me some Parenthood sap, right? I love when the characters have been fighting and shouting and yelling and then everything just breaks down and they admit how much they love each other or whatever. I'm a sucker for this kind of sentimental stuff when done well, and Parenthood does it as well as anybody. But there are weeks where the show just pushes TOO FAR in that regard, and that was one of the things I didn't quite like about "Slipping Away." The first few acts? Very good, but for some weird little quibbles here and there. But that last act? It was just filled with too many super sappy moments, where the characters completely abandoned any hint of subtext and just said whatever ooey gooey stuff crept into their heads. Maybe Sarah's "win one for the Gipper!" speech to Adam about how you NEVER STOP PARENTING would have been OK as an isolated thing, but then Adam showing up to pick up Haddie from soccer practice (nice in and of itself) and BANDAGING UP HER CUT ELBOW AND SAYING, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT"?! Please.
It doesn't help that we've gone to the "Amber is self-destructive" well yet again, as though the show isn't quite sure how to close out a season without Amber going a little nuts. And in the things-we-can't-hold-against-the-show department, NBC has been advertising the shit out of the closing cliffhanger, where Amber is in a car crash, and the longer the episode went on without Amber in a wreck, the more I began to realize that it was going to be the cliffhanger, and the more grumbly I became. I don't mind a little writer-ex-machina designed to goose the drama, and I have seen enough stupid network promos over the years to realize that they're a fact of life. But this all seems so casually tossed together to make sure there's some sort of big event for the finale. Amber's spiral—realistic though it may be—feels so SUDDEN, and I almost wish the show had gotten an extra episode or two added on to its order, so we weren't going from college rejection to flirtation with the wrong guy to all-out drug use and car wrecks so quickly.
It's not like there weren't great moments in this story. For once, Drew got something to do, as he helped his mom dig through his sister's purse. (I loved the way that Sarah seemed ready to turn it all on him. Younger siblings never get a fair shake!) And that scene where Amber came to the restaurant to eat with her mom and Sarah realized that she was high was some pretty masterful acting from one Lauren Graham. The way that her face went from jovial good times to complete and utter anger in the space of about two seconds was something to behold. And, yeah, it's not fun to watch Amber's downward spiral (again), but Mae Whitman's still playing the hell out of it, even shoving her mom to the ground and stomping off like a total, petulant snot.
It's also possible the episode couldn't overcome that very early scene where Kristina and Adam learned that Haddie was having sex. Look. It's kind of ridiculous that Haddie's phone would accidentally call her mom while she was hooking up with Alex, but it was one of the better variations on the scene where the parents accidentally walk in on the kid having sex that I've seen in a while, because it actually reintroduced suspense to the equation. Will Haddie check her sent calls and see that she sent one to Kristina she didn't know about? Will Adam and Kristina keep quiet? Will they ever just confront their daughter with what they know? Plus, it played on that universal fear of all cell phone owners that when you're bad-mouthing somebody or saying something you don't want someone to hear, your phone is developing a mind of its own and calling them, even when you'd rather it wasn't. Only, y'know, this all happened with teen sex. So there were ample opportunities for lessons.
Actually, I'm still a little blown away by just how little teens having sex for the first time seems to be a big deal on TV anymore. When I was in junior high and high school, teenagers getting freaky was treated as an EVENT with full-page ads in TV Guide and everything. Now, it's just something the teens on TV do, like the way teens in real life keep having sex with boyfriends and girlfriends despite the world's inability to stop them from doing so (and believe me, the world keeps trying). The scene where Haddie goes to her mom and tells her that, yeah, she's been having sex with Alex is pretty refreshing because there are so few histrionics. It's just a mother and a daughter having an honest conversation and the mother realizing that things are never going to quite be the same. (Adam's reaction also struck me as very realistic, and the moment when Haddie tries to tell him to fix the showerhead struck me as something of an homage to a famous moment in the My So-Called Life pilot, that being the show showrunner Jason Katims got his first job on. Though I may be making this up entirely.)
Julia mostly played runner this week, darting between various storylines while attempting to avoid thinking about her own storyline, which is filled with sadness. On the other hand, she spent most of her time with Crosby and Jasmine, trying to help her brother carry out his insane plan to win back his lady love and then gradually realizing that Jasmine would have none of it. I thought it was interesting to play this vision of Crosby's clear insanity via his sister's point-of-view, since we've spent a lot of time with Crosby, moping about the loss of his fiancée. The guy's justified to feel the way he does, but it still seems a little one-note, so I think it was smart to make the switch this week to putting Julia in an uncomfortable position. We'll see how this all plays out next week, as Crosby makes his hail Mary pass via the ugly house of doom.
Really, outside of the predictability of Amber's story arc and that last act, I quite enjoyed "Slipping Away." There were a lot of nice little touches around the edges—like consummate acting pro Steven Weber turning up as the most powerful theatre producer on the West Coast. (I get that a lot of the writers on the show were once playwrights and probably know more about this than I do, but man, it sometimes seems like the "Sarah writes a play!" storyline is more steeped in tales of trying to sell a screenplay in Hollywood than anything like the real theatrical world.) And I guess if we have to have something predictable like Amber getting in a car wreck, it's because this is Parenthood's version of the hail Mary pass: If it can tie all of these storylines together next week, via the ailing girl, then it'll have one heck of a season finale. C'mon, Parenthood. Give us the mega cheese.
Stray observations:
- I like that Joel apparently has so little to do in his own life that he can embark upon all sorts of insane home improvement projects for his in-laws.
- We didn't see much of Zeek or Camille this week. Zeek's finest hour might have been in what appeared to be a K-Mart photograph from 1995 that apparently sits on Julia's desk at work, a photo that was enough to weird out Amber and keep her from having sex with her boyfriend on Julia's couch.
- Sydney and Jabbar have worked out a secret handshake. The other Bravermans should fear for their lives.
- That speech from Lauren Graham totally should have had the words "FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION" flashing at the bottom in giant neon.
- "Sorry it looks like a Howard Johnson's from the '70s."


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My first designer handbag was my 18s birthday present. It was a lovely handbag, but I dropped it after couple of days and yes it was one among my saddest things.
I had been trying to purchase a same handbag and luxury myself. Sadly, the handbag was very popular and out of stock in a short time! Poor me!
Just few days before, I found this online shop. It is the biggest online luxury store and I finally got my handbag back! Dont miss your loves.
guess collection rose gold watches


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This was published 6 years ago
Homesick factor continues to cripple struggling Lions
The Brisbane Lions are destined to be the AFL's whipping boys unless the 'homesick' factor is addressed, writes Adam Staines, co-founder of influential Lions supporter group The Lion's Roar.
When the AFL recently released its optimistically titled Competitive Balance Policy, commissioner Mike Fitzpatrick spoke of the League's intent to provide a level playing field for all clubs.
"The AFL competition has been built on the basic philosophy of ensuring supporters of every club believe that their team has a chance to win in any game, regardless of the club's financial strength," Fitzpatrick said.
Yet despite the AFL's financial tinkering, it has failed to acknowledge or address a fundamental competitive disadvantage that is crippling the Brisbane Lions: homesickness.
Since the Lions' inception in 1996, they've had 19 first-round draft picks – the cream of the draft crop. Astoundingly, 15 of those players finished their careers with other clubs; most moved during or before their prime. Of those, 10 players returned to their home state.
By comparison, over the same period, clubs from traditional footy states lost an average of just two first-rounders to "homesickness".
That gulf should come as no surprise when one considers that a whopping 97 per cent of players taken via the national draft are from traditional states. By comparison, since 2010, just four Queenslanders and four New South Welshman have been drafted onto senior lists – all of them with speculative late picks.
Due to this talent supply imbalance, there are just six Queenslanders on the Lions' senior list. Victorian clubs enjoy, on average, 25 locals on their list, while WA clubs average 23. The Lions are the very definition of a frontier club, yet they are the only one without any form of retention allowance.
It isn't just a modern phenomenon, either. And it isn't merely the result of a lack of on-field success as some might dismissively argue.
In 1999, with the Lions on the cusp of greatness, after playing in a losing preliminary final, Shane O'Bree walked to the Pies in the pre-season draft. He made his reasons clear.
"From day one in Brisbane I was always homesick, so it was good to come back to Victoria and be close to my friends and family," he said at the time.
Even as the Lions reached new heights in 2002, former number-one draft pick Des Headland demanded to be traded home to WA, only weeks after helping Brisbane win a premiership. Jason Gram followed suit the next year.
While battling to keep Headland, Lions coach Leigh Matthews channeled Nostradamus.
"If every one of our young players who comes up here for a couple of years, we develop them and they go home, quite clearly our football club is consigned to the bottom of the heap."
And so it has gone. The Lions' premiership successes, despite the constant player drain, speaks not only to his skill but also to the incredible depth of young talent accrued at the Lions over years of being cellar-dwellers and the one-off merger boon.
While the retention challenge is not new, it is, worryingly, intensifying. Last year the exodus of "Go Home Five", Polec, Docherty, Yeo, Longer and Karnezis, was well documented. While some commentators were quick to attribute their departure to off-field dramas, that doesn't explain why the Lions have regularly lost players through good times and bad.
Instead, look to the pervasive, insidious impact of free agency. While the AFL attempted to restrict its introduction to only older players, its influence has extended unintentionally to younger players.
It is now culturally acceptable for teenagers coming off their initial contracts, still yearning for family and childhood friends, to nominate their new club of choice. Players drafted now know they need only bide their time.
We've all heard the stories of agents and rival clubs muttering to them on draft night: "Don't worry, it'll only be two years and we'll get you home". They are unbound by the restrictions of their older peers. They have become the ultimate free agents.
To add salt to the wound of their departure, with player agents holding all the cards, spurned clubs are receiving poorer compensation.
The trade period is an unnerving time for Lions fans. While southerners treat it like Christmas come early, we look to our players with trepidation and wonder "Which lamb will the vultures snatch this year?" Many are looking to the latest batch of recruits wondering if it is worth getting attached.
The AFL created this beast. It is its responsibility to fix it, or risk losing us in droves. Without the AFL's urgent intervention the Lions will remain its forgotten frontier; the perennial feeder club, mired to the bottom of the ladder.
This is no one's definition of a level playing field.
The Lion's Roar is an independent, not for profit group representing members and supporters of the Brisbane Lions.


text: Hybrid mode alternative settings 2017-02-15 11:02:06 Settings for hybrid lossless usage. Goal: economy and faster operations.-b3x3c ~270k --portable medium-b4x3c ~370k --portable HQSettings for lossy archiving (no wvc) . Goal: quality first, less economy and encoding speed. NO impact on decoding speed.-b5x4 ~460k --normal HQ-b6x4 ~540k --extreme-b7x4 ~630k --insaneThe -h switch may be added for slightly more compression / audio quality but at the expense of encode and decode time.


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Venting Options
Help your building breathe by adding a venting option and allow air to circulate. This also lets excess heat escape in the summer. You can feel a big difference in temperature in a shed with venting compared to one without venting. Ridge Vents are especially good for reducing heat because heat naturally rises and can escape effortlessly.
Vents are also valuable if you plan to use your shed as a workshop or to store lawn mowers. Vents give fumes from things like paint and gas another place to escape.
Your Venting Options:
1. Gable End Vents (standard or wooden arch top)
One installed on each gable end of the structure.
Available in a variety of colors.
2. 10' Ridge Vent (aluminum or shingle-over)
Shingle-over matches shingles on roof.
3. 18'' Cupola (Wood or Vinyl)
Wood cupolas painted to match building (with same shingle color as roof)
Vinyl cupolas in white only (with same shingle color as roof).
4. Weather Vane (Rooster or Horse & Buggy)
Add a weather vane to the top of your cupola for added charm.
Shelves, Lofts, Workbenches, and More
Maximize the storage space inside your shed by adding shelves, lofts, a workbench or pegboard.
Lofts help get items you only use a few times a year out of the way so you can access the items you use regularly easier. Organize all your smaller items with ease on shelves. You can even place them exactly where you need them! Add just one shelf to a wall... or two... or even three!
Need a place to work on projects? Add a workbench. Place pegboard behind it to keep all your tools handy, but out of the way and organized. Add pegboard to a wall and hang up rakes, shovels, hoses and more. Find what you need easily instead of digging through the pile in the corner.
The possibilities are endless. You'd be surprised how much more you can store inside your shed just by adding any of these options!
Your options:
1. Shelves
Available in 12, 16, and 24 inches wide.
Configure them to your specifications!
2. Lofts
Standard 4' deep X building width
3. Workbench
Standard 3 foot wide with heavy duty 3/4 on top
4. Pegboard
Pre-Designed Packages:
1. Work Shop/Space Saver Package
Includes 2 Lofts, Workbench, Shelving, Pegboard, 6' Double Door, and 3' Single Entry Door
2. Organizer Package
Includes 2 Lofts, Shelving, & Additional Single Entry Door
Windows and Shutters
Add light and style to your building with windows. Most buildings come standard with 1-2 windows, which you can move practically any where on the building... for No Added Fee!
Upgrade to more or bigger windows for even more light and ventilation. You pick the shutter color to match your style and can even upgrade to other shutters styles. Avid gardener? Add flower boxes under your windows for an added touch.
Your Window Options:
1. Aluminum Single Hung Window with Grid
(Sizes range from 14"x21" to 30"x36")
2. Vinyl Single Hung Insulated Window with Grid (30'"x36")
3. Aluminum Round Top Window (30'')
4. Aluminum Octagon Window (18'')
5. Aluminum 3 Pane Jalousie Window (18"x23")
6. Aluminum Transom Windows
Most Aluminum windows available in brown or white
7. Wood Windows with Wood Frame
(Arch Top also available)
8. Single Hung Wood Windows with Wood Frame
(Arch Top also available)
9. Wooden Gable Triangle Window
10. Wooden Transom Windows
Most Wood Windows available in Pine or Cedar
11. Skylight (14"x22" and 14"x30")
12. Garden Shed Plastic Window (for roof or walls)
13. Concession Window
Can be made to swing open in or out
Your Shutter Options:
1. Slat Wood Shutters
Standard on most LP buildings
2. 'Z' Wood Shutters
3. Louvered Vinyl Shutters
Standard on most Vinyl buildings
4. Raised Panel Vinyl Shutters
Add Flower Boxes:
1. Wood or Vinyl Flower Box
18'' or 30'' long (no braces)
2. Deluxe Vinyl Flower Box
56'' long (with braces)
Help set the style of your building with the type of doors you choose. Planning on storing several big items inside? Make sure to get double doors. Want a classier look for your shed? Upgrade to Carriage House doors. Choose a door with windows and a house lockset for your home/sales office.
Below are all our standard door sizes and available options. Custom sizes also available! Ask you local sales manager for more information.
Your Door Options:
Fiberglass Doors (6 foot standard height)
1. 36'' Single Entry Door
2. Double Doors (4, 5,and 6 foot standard width)
3. 3-Lite Door (includes window with 3 grid sections)
4. 9-Lite Door (includes window with 9 grid sections)
5. 11-Lite Door (includes window with 11 grid sections and rounded top)
6. 36'' Full Glass Door
7. 6' Double French Doors (includes grid)
8. 6' Double Siding Doors (includes grid)
9. House Locket and/or Deadbolt
Wood Doors
10. 36'' Single Entry Door
11. Double Doors (4, 5, and 6 foot standard width)
12. Dutch Door
13. Archtop Door (single or double)
14. Wood Door Frame with Steel Ribbed Siding
Carriage House Doors
15. 42"x6' Single Entry Door
16. 7'x6' Double Door
Choose between Arch Top or Square Transom Windows
17. Magnetic Pet Doors
Available in Small, Medium, or Large
Garage Doors
Purchasing a garage? You have options for the garage door, too! Purchasing a standard shed, but need easy access for large items like lawn mowers, atvs, snowmobiles, or pallets of supplies? Depending on the size of the shed, you can add or upgrade to a garage door to make getting in and out easy. We even have a small 6'x6' garage door for in smaller sheds.
Let extra light in by adding a row of windows to the door. Add an electric garage door opener and never have to get in and out of your car to open and close the door!
Your Garage Door Options:
1. Standard Garage Door
(6'x6' 8'x6'6" 8'x7' 9'x7' 9'x8' or 10'x7')
Insulated, Steel, Raised Panel Garage Door with Exterior Lock
Not all sizes available in all size/style buildings
due to wall height requirements
2. Colonial Garage Door
(8'x7' or 9'x7')
Not all sizes available in all size/style buildings
due to wall height requirements
3. Add A Row of Windows
Choose from regular, sunburst, or arch top windows
3. Electric Garage Door Opener
4. Arch Top Door Opening
Ramps and Diamond Tread Plate
Double doors and garages doors give you plenty of room to get in and out of your structure, but ramps make it even easier! Pine Creek Structures offers ramps for all our standard size doors. Just lay it down, line it up with door, and drive right in. Ramps are the safe option if you or a family member has problems stepping up and down into the building.
We recommend adding diamond tread plate all your building's entrance ways. The metal protects the edge of the floor from wear and tear of entering/exiting the building, especially if you're driving in lawn mowers, ATVs, snowmobiles, automobiles, or other equipment.
Your Options:
1. Wood Ramp (48'' long)
Available in all standard door sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 feet wide
Made with pressure treated 2x6's
2. Diamond Tread Plate
Available in all standard door sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 feet long
Porches and Railing
Are you using your shed as a cabin, office building, or in-law quarters? Add a porch to give it that homey feel! Porches can easily be added to the corner or gable end of your structure. Choose from vinyl or wood posts and railing to match your taste.
Adding a gable porch is ideal for weekend getaway cabins! Not only does it give you a place to enjoy the great outdoors, it also creates a loft to use as an extra sleeping area. Just add a ladder and mattress and you're set!
Your Porch and Railing Options:
1. 3x8 Corner Porch
Includes an additional door, one post (wood or vinyl), and 2x6 deck boards
2. Gable End Porch (4 or 6 feet deep)
Includes two spindles posts (wood or vinyl)
3. Spindle Railing (Wood or Vinyl)
Railing approx. 30" high
4. Composite Decking
*Composite decking makes clean up a breeze! Just hose it down and let it dry. Plus it won't weather like traditional decking. It's virtually maintenance free!
5. Screened In Porch and Aluminum Screen Door
New England Package
Looking for a more sophisticated look for your shed? Choose the New England Package and take your shed to the next level. Just take a look below at the difference between a standard storage shed and a New England Style storage shed.
New England Package available with Peak, Dutch, or Cottage style storage sheds.
The New England Package Includes:
- Wider Face Boards
- Wider Corner Trim
- 'Z' Shutters
- Transom Windows in the Doors
- Wider Door Trim
- New England Hardware
- Higher Walls (on 8' and 10' wide peaks only)
Above options also available separately.
Transom windows also available above standard windows.
Electrical Packages
"I need electricity in my shed too!" No need to worry! We can set up your shed to be hooked up for electricity after delivery. This is ideal for workshops, offices, and cabins. Don't hassle with running extension cords to your new structure from your home. Whether it be few receptacles or the full works, we run all the wiring for you. An Electrical Inspection Certificate may be required.
Your Electrical Options:
1. Lights: - Single bulb
- Jelly jar lens
- Carriage style
- Hanging florescent
- Flood lights
2. Ceiling Fan with Light
3. Receptacles:
Inside or weatherproof outside
4. Phone and Cable Jacks
5. Baseboard Heater
Four Different Electrical Packages Available
Electrical packages available with varying breaker boxes.
Standard number of bulbs, switches, and receptacles in
each package vary according to structure size. Packages
include #12 Romex (yellow plastic coating) wire, plastic
boxes, 20-amp rated outlets, switches, trim plates, and
bulbs. Wires are stapled to the wall and the structure is
electric tested.
Interior Options
We can spruce up the inside, too! Completely finished, unfinished, or halfway in between... We can finish the inside to your specifications. We can completely finish the inside (walls, floors, and more) or build just the framing for rooms. It's up to you!
Your Interior Options:
1. Linoleum Flooring
2. Pergo Flooring
3. Partitions (floor to ceiling)
4. Interior Wall Sheeting and Trim
Available in OSB, Duratemp, or Pine Board
5. Interior Doors
Available in solid wood or hollow raised panel styles
6. Insulation
Choose from Aluminum double bubble,
fiberglass, or spray foam
7. Cathedral Ceiling
Other Options
Don't see what you're looking for? No problem! Talk to any of our trained sales managers to custom design the structure of your dreams. We always say "If you can dream it, we can build it" and we mean it! We'll work with you to create the structure you're looking for that's structurally sound and made with the highest quality craftsmanship.
Do you already own a specific light fixture or flooring you want to incorporate in your structure? Bring it in to your local sales location manager when you're ordering your building! We'll send it down to our manufacturing plant to be used in your building.
Check with your local authorities for building codes and regulations before finalizing your order. Many townships also require permits before placing your structures. Pine Creek Structures is not responsible for acquiring these permits, but we'll gladly point you in the right direction. Talk to your local sales manager for more information.


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Provided by: libbio-perl-perl_1.7.2-2_all
Bio::PhyloNetwork::TreeFactoryMulti - Module to sequentially generate Phylogenetic Trees
use strict; use warnings; use Bio::PhyloNetwork; use Bio::PhyloNetwork::TreeFactory; # Will generate sequentially all the 15 binary phylogetic # trees with 4 leaves my $factory=Bio::PhyloNetwork::TreeFactory->new(-numleaves=>4); my @nets; while (my $net=$factory->next_network()) { push @nets,$net; print "".(scalar @nets).": ".$net->eNewick()."\n"; }
Sequentially builds a (binary) phylogenetic tree each time next_network is called.
Gabriel Cardona, gabriel(dot)cardona(at)uib(dot)es
The rest of the documentation details each of the object methods. new Title : new Usage : my $factory = new Bio::PhyloNetwork::TreeFactory(); Function: Creates a new Bio::PhyloNetwork::TreeFactory Returns : Bio::PhyloNetwork::RandomFactory Args : -numleaves => integer OR -leaves => reference to an array (of leaves names) Returns a Bio::PhyloNetwork::TreeFactory object. Such an object will sequentially create binary phylogenetic trees each time next_network is called. If the parameter -leaves=>\@leaves is given, then the set of leaves of these networks will be @leaves. If it is given the parameter -numleaves=>$numleaves, then the set of leaves will be "l1"..."l$numleaves". next_network Title : next_network Usage : my $net=$factory->next_network() Function: returns a tree Returns : Bio::PhyloNetwork Args : none


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Bill Clinton to receive Father of the Year award
- National Father's Day Council to honor 42nd president for his foundation work
- Bill and Hillary Clinton are parents to Chelsea, 33
Former president Bill Clinton can add Father of the Year to the many awards he's garnered in his decades of public service.
The National Father's Day Council, which has been giving out such an honor for 72 years, has named Clinton one of its recipients for 2013.
"With the profound generosity, leadership and tireless dedication to both his public office and many philanthropic organizations, President Clinton exemplifies the attributes that we celebrate through the Father of the Year award," said Dan Orwig, chairman of the National Father's Day Committee.
The 42nd president is being honored for his work through the William J. Clinton Foundation "to improve global health, promote healthier childhoods and protect the environment" and for bringing "global leaders together to work on the most pressing issues," according to the committee's statement.
Clinton and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, have always doted on their daughter, Chelsea, who turns 33 next month. When Chelsea Clinton was getting ready for her 2010 wedding, her dad said walking her down the aisle was "the most important job I'll ever have."
The not-for-profit group awards Father of the Year to "contemporary lifestyle leaders of our culture" and raises money for its philanthropic efforts. Past recipients from the world of politics have included Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo and his father, Mario Cuomo, and Rudy Giuliani.
The awards will be given out in June.


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Last edited: 5 June 2019
Below you will find information on the Minimum Solar Box Cooker. The Solar Cooking Wiki also provides an individual page for 142 different countries where you will find news, NGOs, manufacturers, and individuals working on solar cooking projects in that country. Links to possible funders are also available:
The Minimum Solar Box Cooker is a simple box cooker that can be built in a few hours for very little money. Using ideas developed by many different people, Tom Sponheim and Mark Aalfs attempted to come up with the simplest design that they could devise at the time (1990). They named it the "Minimum Solar Box Cooker." What they didn't communicate with that name was that this is a full-power cooker that works very well, and is in no way minimum as far as its cooking power goes.
What you will need
- Two cardboard boxes. Use an inner box that is at least 38 cm (15 in) by 38 cm (15 in), but bigger is better. The outer box should be larger than the small box all around, but it doesn't matter how much bigger, as long as there is 1.5 cm (0.6 in) or more of an airspace between the two boxes. The distance between the two boxes does not have to be equal all the way around. Also, keep in mind that it is very easy to adjust the size of a cardboard box by cutting and gluing it. Note that you can build the Easy Lid Cooker with a single cardboard box.
- One sheet of cardboard to make the lid. This piece must be approximately 4 cm (1.6 in) to 8 cm (3.2 in) larger all the way around than the top of the finished cooker (the outer box).
- One small roll of aluminum foil.
- One can of flat-black spray paint (look for the words "non-toxic when dry") or one small jar of black tempera paint. Some people have reported making their own paint out of soot mixed with wheat paste.
- Main article: Paint
- At least 250 g (8 oz) of white glue or wheat paste.
- One turkey-size Reynolds Oven Cooking Bag®. These are available in almost all supermarkets in the U.S. They are rated for 204 °C (399 °F) so they are perfect for solar cooking. They are not UV resistant; thus they will become more brittle and opaque over time and may need to be replaced periodically. A sheet of glass can also be used, but this is more expensive and fragile, and doesn't offer that much better cooking except on windy days. Plexiglas also works. See Glazing for more possibilities.
Building the Base
Decide how deep you want your oven to be. It should be about 2.5 cm (1 in) deeper than your largest pot and about 2.5 cm (1 in) shorter than the outer box so that there will be a space between the bottoms of the boxes once the cooker is assembled. Using a knife, slit the corners of the inner box down to that height. Fold each side down forming extended flaps (Figure 2). Folding is smoother if you first draw a firm line from the end of one cut to the other where the folds are to go.
Finally, to make the drip pan, cut a piece of cardboard the same size as the bottom of the interior of the oven and apply foil to one side. Paint this foiled side black and allow it to dry. Put this in the oven so that it rests on the bottom of the inner box (black side up), and place your pots on it when cooking. The base is now finished.
Building the Removable Lid
To make a prop, bend a 30 cm (12 in) piece of hanger wire as indicated in Figure 6. This can then be inserted into the corrugations as shown.
Improving Efficiency
The oven you have built should cook fine during most of the solar season. If you would like to improve the efficiency to be able to cook on more marginal days, you can modify your oven in any or all of the following ways:
- Make pieces of foiled cardboard the same size as the oven sides and place these in the wall spaces.
- Make a new reflector the size of the entire lid (see photo above).
- Make the drip pan using sheet metal, such as aluminum flashing. Paint this black and elevate this off the bottom of the oven slightly with small cardboard strips.
Making this cooker collapsible
- Main article: Collapsible Solar Box Cooker
Plans in other languages
See also
- The Easy Lid Cooker is a similar cooker with a much simpler lid.
- The Collapsible Solar Box Cooker is a collapsible version of this solar cooker.
- Solar Cooking Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Tips and tricks


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Obama's day: Teacher of the Year
David Jackson
President Obama spotlights the education issue Thursday, honoring outstanding teachers.
In an afternoon ceremony in the East Room, Obama welcomes the finalists for the 2014 National Teacher of the Year award, as well as the winner: Sean McComb, a high school English teacher from Maryland.
Obama will thank the teachers "for their hard work and dedication each and every day in the classroom," says the White House schedule.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan also will attend the event.
Earlier in the day, Obama has a private lunch with Vice President Biden, as well as other meetings with senior advisers.


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Cataracts in Dogs Alternative Natural Treatment
Cataracts in Dogs
Cataracts in dogs are a very common occurrence with our canine friends. Several kinds of cataracts exist and the causes are few and far between. However, cataracts in dogs can be treated to help him or her live life a little better. Watch the video below to see our testimonial from Dr. Elizabette Cohen who has been practising high quality medicine and surgery in New York since 1988.
"This site is all about helping you keep your pet healthy, happy and free of visually impairing eye conditions including cataracts and glaucoma".
NYC WCBS880 News Radio Pet Vet – Dr Elizabette Cohen & Allie
A cataract is when the protein of the lens inside the eye becomes slightly decayed, causing a blurry opacity to form. Some cataracts in dogs can be so small that it does not hurt the animal's vision, or some can be big enough to cause blindness, glaucoma, and uveitis. Several kinds of cataracts in dogs exist: an incipient cataract, immature cataract, and mature cataracts.
An incipient cataract is the least significant form of a cataract. In fact humans cannot tell if it harms the dog's vision or not. Most veterinarians believe it rarely affects the dog's vision at all. The second kind of cataract is immature cataracts. This kind only covers a portion of the dog's eye and will affect the animal's eyesight. If not treated in time, the immature cataract may develop into a mature cataract, covering the dog's eye entirely. These kinds of cataracts in dogs can also be known as the "stages" of the disease. When one occurs others will follow.
The main causes of cataracts in dogs are: diabetes, heredity, and trauma. Like humans dogs can obtain diabetes but the most common way is from birth. Depending on the breed of dog, some dogs will develop the disease quicker than others if it is passed on by heredity. For example, a German Sheppard may form a cataract at an early age of eight weeks, whereas a standard poodle will take about a year to notice anything. Trauma such as car accidents, shotgun pellets, or simply a thorn may cause a cataract so, it is important to see a veterinarian as soon as possible whenever events may occur.
Treatment for cataracts in dogs is normally surgery, which is a very delicate process. In the surgery, the lens inside the eye is removed via surgical incision. Then some gel and specific liquids are added until an artificial lens is inserted.
Sometimes cataracts in dogs are confused with another disease called nuclear sclerosis. Nuclear sclerosis is a disorder that forms in a dog's eye from old age that looks similar to a cataract. However nuclear sclerosis does not affect the dog's vision at all. In order to tell if a dog has a cataract or nuclear sclerosis a veterinarian may be able to tell the difference.
are a very serious matter, which should be taken care of as soon as possible. They can develop in any breed and can be taken care of. The sooner a cataract is noticed the easier it will be to save the dog's eyesight.
Author: Professor Steven Charles Gallant
Cataracts In Dogs


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After months of delays and negotiations, the state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would require Massachusetts companies to substitute existing, safer alternatives for some toxic chemicals.
After months of delays and negotiations, the state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would require Massachusetts companies to substitute existing, safer alternatives for some toxic chemicals. State Sen. Pam Resor, D-Acton, was happy to see the Senate reach consensus on the bill she sponsored, although the compromise proposed regulations are not as strong as she would have liked. "The stakes are high, scientific evidence is mounting that toxic chemicals can and do affect our health. … I believe that Massachusetts can pay a large part in leading product safety by taking this bold but (reasonable) step," Resor said. It is now up to the House to debate the bill, which establishes guidelines for studying and banning up to five toxic chemicals each year only if safer and acceptable alternatives are available. Both in-state and out-of-state companies that do not comply or obtain a waiver will be penalized with fines or additional fees on their products. Those fines will pay for new studies and help subsidize the costs that businesses may face when switching to alternative chemicals. The Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the state's largest business association, will be lobbying House members to kill the legislation, said AIM Executive Vice President John Regan. In an earlier interview, AIM Senior Vice President Bob Rio called the proposal an unenforceable, bureaucratic mess. "Massachusetts companies will just move out of state, build the same product and ship it back in to Massachusetts," he said of Resor's original bill. During Senate debate, Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, worried that requirements could drive some struggling companies out of business. Senate Ways and Means chairman Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, D-Lowell, said the cost associated with the bill is minimal and that it only deals with highly toxic chemicals, which should be eliminated "regardless of economic cost." Businesses can obtain exemptions if they prove that available alternatives would not be adequate substitutes or that the change would be financially impossible. Lindsey Parietti can be reached at email@example.com


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Brand name: Epzicom
Generic name: abacavir sulfate (abacavir)/lamivudine, or ABC/3TC
Class: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
Manufacturer: ViiV Healthcare, www.viivhealthcare.com, (877) 844-8872
AWP: $1,169.26/month
Standard Dose: One tablet (600 mg abacavir/300 mg lamivudine), once a day, with or without food, with no dietary restrictions. Take missed dose as soon as possible, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Do not double up on your next dose. Not indicated for patients younger than 18 years old, those with kidney function less than 50 mL/min, and those with liver problems, because dose adjustments are not possible with this fixed dose combination.
Potential side effects and toxicity: The most common side effects of Epzicom are the same as the individual drugs it contains -- see Epivir (lamivudine) and Ziagen (abacavir). Of note is the hypersensitivity reaction (HSR, an allergic-like reaction) warning on abacavir (see Ziagen page). A simple and inexpensive blood test for HLA-B*5701 (a genetic marker) can identify people at high risk for this reaction and virtually eliminate HSR. About 90% of HSR occurs within the first six weeks of treatment. Symptoms of HSR usually worsen, very slowly, with every dose. If treatment is stopped because of this serious reaction, you can never take products containing abacavir, such as Epzicom or Trizivir, again (called "re-challenging"). Re-challenging could cause a rare life-threatening reaction. (This does not apply to missed doses when there's no HSR, but watch for symptoms if you've stopped the drug for at least a few days.) Symptoms usually, but not always, include some combination of fever; muscle ache; malaise (general ill feeling); severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain; severe tiredness; respiratory symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing, and sore throat); and possible rash. Symptoms are listed on the patient information sheet and warning card that you receive each time you fill your prescription. You should keep the warning card with you. Hypersensitivity might be confused with flu during flu season, but remember that HSR worsens with every dose. Check with your doctor if you have any side effects after taking this medicine -- don't just stop! Some observational studies seemed to indicate that abacavir may increase the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, in people with greater risk factors (such as smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and drug use). One possible explanation was found -- people with kidney problems were put on abacavir in order to avoid tenofovir, which has potential for kidney toxicity, and those people already had a strong risk for heart problems. The FDA conducted an analysis of 26 randomized clinical trials that evaluated abacavir. This analysis did not show an increased risk of heart attacks associated with the use of abacavir. Last year, DHHS HIV treatment guidelines added the statement, "to date, no consensus has been reached either on the association of [abacavir] use with MI [myocardial infarction, or heart attack] risk or a possible mechanism for the association." People who have high risk for heart disease are monitored more closely and the decision to stop or never start a regimen containing abacavir is up to you and your provider. See chart for potential drug class side effects.
Potential drug interactions: See the individual drugs contained in Epzicom, Epivir and Ziagen, for more information. Do not take Epzicom with Atripla, Combivir, Complera, Emtriva, Epivir, Epivir-HBV, Trizivir, Truvada, or Ziagen, since all or part of these medications are already in Epzicom or have equivalent medications. Alcohol can increase the levels of abacavir and therefore increase the possibility of side effects.
More information: Currently, U.S. HIV treatment guidelines recommend Truvada over Epzicom as the preferred backbone for the NRTI component of an HIV drug combination for first-time therapy. Epzicom is listed as an alternative NRTI backbone. Study ACTG 5202 reported that for those people who started treatment with a viral load of more than 100,000, Epzicom was "significantly less effective at controlling HIV" in the regimens tested. Moreover, time to a serious adverse event was sooner in the people taking Epzicom. These efficacy and safety findings were not confirmed in a manufacturer-sponsored study, HEAT, another large study comparing Epzicom and Truvada. Still, in HIV therapy, there is always use for an alternative choice of drugs. The DHHS guidelines state, "Pending additional data, [Epzicom] should be used with caution in individuals who have plasma HIV RNA [viral load] greater than 100,000 copies/mL, as well as in persons at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. However, Epzicom remains a good alternative dual-NRTI option for some treatment-naïve patients." Remember, too, that Truvada has its own side effect and drug interaction issues, although it's famed for its tolerability. The HLA-B*5701 test should never be used to diagnose HSR. Do not use a skin patch test to confirm HSR. Regardless of the results, it is important to monitor the potential for this reaction. If HSR is suspected or cannot be ruled out, products containing abacavir should be discontinued. The incidence of HSR was the same between Epzicom once-daily and Ziagen twice-daily (8% vs. 9%), but the incidence of severe reactions was higher with Epzicom (5% vs. 2%). Remember that the HSR cited may have been suspected, not definitely diagnosed. The lamivudine portion of Epzicom is also used to treat the hepatitis B virus (HBV); see Epivir page. If you are co-infected with HIV and HBV and you stop Epzicom, your HBV may reactivate and you may experience signs and symptoms of acute HBV. You should be closely monitored by your physician. See package insert for more complete information on potential side effects and interactions.
Doctor's Comments
Epzicom is the safe, well-tolerated, once-daily co-formulation of abacavir (Ziagen) and 3TC (Epivir). It's generally viewed as the best alternative to Truvada when tenofovir can't be used (usually for reasons having to do with the kidneys). The issues of abacavir hypersensitivity (see Ziagen) apply to Epzicom as well, so an HLA-B*5701 test should always be ordered before taking this drug. Epzicom appears to be somewhat less effective than Truvada in people with viral loads above 100,000. For reasons discussed elsewhere, we also tend to avoid Epzicom in people who are at high risk of coronary heart disease.
-- Joel Gallant, M.D., M.P.H.
Activist's Comments
A combination of abacavir and lamivudine, Epzicom was a convenient once-a-day improvement over Combivir, or so we thought. Complications, side effects, and risk of coronary issues have made this far less prescribed than in prior years. As it fades out of favor, it leaves us with a mediocre backup tool for those failing all of the latest greatest therapies.
-- Joey Wynn


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Familiar faces, many celebrating major milestones, dominated the year in movies. James Bond turned 50 with a huge hit in "Skyfall," Marvel's "Avengers" finally assembled on the big screen, and the "Twilight" franchise finally bowed out -- just in time for "The Hunger Games" to move in and set up camp.
Lionsgate, MGM, New Line, Summit
"The Hunger Games," "Skyfall," "Breaking Dawn Part 2" and "The Hobbit" were among the big films this year.
Here are some of the highlights -- and lowlights -- of the year in film. (Warning: Spoilers ahoy!)
'The Grey'
Liam Neeson punches a wolf in the face! Or not, but the trailer made it seem like he did, resulting in a great Internet meme. Also, who wouldn't buy this film's upbeat soundtrack, which includes such peppy numbers as "You Are Gonna Die," "Wife Memory" and "Running From Wolves"?
'The Devil Inside'
Plus side: This exorcism movie was a huge box-office success! Down side: It was horrible! Plus side: Slate suggested the film has the "worst ending of all time"! (Viewers are told to go to a website.) Down side: You've now got that INXS song stuck in your head, don't you? Every single one of us, the devil inside.
'Woman in Black'
Spooky setting, but the Daniel Radcliffe-starring horror film critics dubbed "Scary Potter" was all trick and no treat.
'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" in 3-D
We didn't even enjoy this one in regular D.
'Secret World of Arrietty'
Finally, a sweet Valentine's Day treat. Kids and parents alike were enchanted by this little-seen Japanese animated film (dubbed in English, by Carol Burnett among others) based on the beloved "Borrowers" books.
'Dr. Seuss' The Lorax'
He is the Lorax, he speaks for the trees. This adaptation of the good doctor's book earned mixed reviews, but Ed Helms stood out as the tree-chopping, finally redeemed Once-ler.
'John Carter'
Let's suppose it's a good idea to spend a quarter of a billion dollars on a movie. Don't make it this movie. "Will you stay and fight for Helium?" is one line. Uh, no, we're gonna go see if Hydrogen has anything better to offer.
'21 Jump Street'
No one had high hopes for "21 Jump Street," a big-screen version of the 1980s TV show about baby-face cops. But then stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, and a witty and raunchy script shook things up, resulting in a hilarious, fast-moving comedy that paid all the proper homage to its retro forebears without groveling.
'The Hunger Games'
Yes, another huge-selling book series becomes a movie series. But somehow -- maybe due to the lack of vampires -- "The Hunger Games" was taken a lot more seriously than "Twilight." Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) made archery look cool, and fans from all Districts can't wait for the next three movies.
'Titanic 3-D'
Spoiler: The boat sinks. Again.
'Cabin in the Woods'
This is not your grandfather's horror movie. Witty and sharp, "Cabin" picks up the entire slasher-film genre upside-down, screams in its face and drives it round the bend.
The movie many dubbed "Escape From Space Prison" would have been much better if it had Snake Plissken. Guy Pearce is no Kurt Russell.
'The Avengers'
Marvel's superhero group deserved a great big-screen debut, and they got it. Best line: When team leader Captain America finishes handing out complicated instructions to his team members, then simply turns to the big green guy and says, "Hulk. Smash."
'Dark Shadows'
Barnabas Collins was many a 1970s girl's first heartthrob, and "Dark Shadows" fans eagerly awaited this movie version of the vampire soap opera. But Johnny Depp, who'd long announced that he was a big fan of the show and character, let everyone down by turning the beloved title into a groaningly bad parody with maybe one funny line. ("Reveal yourself, tiny songstress," Depp's Barnabas demands of a TV displaying Karen Carpenter singing.)
'The Dictator'
There was sure a lot of fuss about "The Dictator" before it came out, with star Sacha Baron Cohen insisting on wearing his "Dictator" costume to the Oscars and dumping fake Kim Jong-Il ashes on Ryan Seacrest. Too bad that when the movie came out, it was so unfunny as to be quickly forgotten.
Yes, the idea of a movie based on the popular board game is goofy, but entertain yourself ticking off the specific game references. The aliens shoot pegs at each other! Strikes are plotted on a computer with the traditional "E-11!" wording familiar from the game! Bring on the sure-to-be-Oscar-candidate "Hungry, Hungry Hippos"!
'Snow White and the Huntsman'
Will forever be known as "that movie where Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson with the director." Guess he thought she was the fairest of them all.
After all the fuss about whether this was or wasn't an "Alien" prequel ... they should've just gone ahead and made an "Alien" prequel.
'That's My Boy'
Pedophilia, incest and statutory rape! Adam Sandler has come a long way from the sweet innocence of "The Wedding Singer," and we wish he'd go back there, pronto. One of the worst-reviewed films of the year.
'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter'
Eagerly awaiting the sequels. "Millard Fillmore: Mummy Wrangler" and "James K. Polk: Loch Ness Monster Spotter."
It's not Pixar's best, but this latest animated film does present a fiery-haired princess who's not your mother's Cinderella.
'Magic Mike'
Now brides-to-be and bachelorettes who are too shy to go out to Chippendales have the perfect movie to rent for their parties. Matthew McConaughey's star-spangled stripper costume will ensure you never look at Uncle Sam the same way again.
'Amazing Spider-Man'
A sparkling reboot for the webslinger, with "Social Network" star Andrew Garfield (and Emma Stone as girlfriend Gwen Stacy) giving the beloved character a fresh feel.
'Dark Knight Rises'
It'll now forever be associated with the horrific shooting in Aurora, Colo., but the film painted a dazzling end to Christopher Nolan's Caped Crusader trilogy. And holy sidekicks, Batman, was that really Robin?
'Total Recall'
Colin Farrell's great and all, but you can't replace Arnold Schwarzenegger in an action movie. No one do this going forward. But kudos for the return of the three-breasted hooker.
'The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure'
You never heard of this kids' movie. No one ever heard of this kids' movie. That's why it became the biggest box-office bomb of all time for films released in 2,000+ theaters. Cost: $60 million if you include marketing. Made: $1 million. That's not a typo.
'Hotel Transylvania'
Adam Sandler slightly redeems himself (slightly) for "That's My Boy" by providing the voice of a loyal dad vampire who runs a hotel for monsters and doesn't want his batty daughter dating a human.
It's no "Inception," but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's September sci-fi flick gave moviegoers that same shaky sense of weirdness, introducing them to a universe where time travel is real, yet used only by future mobsters, with creepy implications.
'Taken 2'
There are no wolves, but Liam Neeson is still Mister Not To Be Messed With.
Thought you knew all about the Iranian hostage crisis? You didn't know about this Iranian hostage crisis. Wonderfully worth seeing, 1970s hair and all.
'Wreck-It Ralph'
What happens to your favorite video-game characters after the arcade shuts down for the night? Turns out they have a whole slammin' lifestyle, fighting Cybugs and having candy go-kart races, and in the end, a new hero is made.
'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2'
Apparently the second half of Stephenie Meyer's book wasn't bloody enough, so the film introduces a whole new sequence that ... well, let's just say we hope you didn't get too attached to some of your favorite characters from Films 1-4. What's that in the field ahead? Er, we mean, "what's that in the field? A head?"
James Bond is back, celebrating 50 years of the spy franchise in what might be the most purely enjoyable blockbuster of the year. Q, M and other letters of the alphabet play major roles.
Turns out our beloved sixteenth president didn't actually fight vampires, instead he fought an intense backroom battle to pass the amendment banning slavery. And also told some great folksy stories. And made one fateful trip to the theater.
'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'
The first of three Peter Jackson films breaking down J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved book takes a while to get started, but once the dwarves are done with their burping contests and have broken most of Bilbo's mother's china, the quest begins. Mountain trolls and goblins and orcs, oh my!
'Django Unchained'
Quentin Tarantino's back, with all the witty dialogue, artfully flowing blood and controversy that ensues. Jamie Foxx plays a slave-turned-bounty-hunter who teams up with the wonderful Christoph Waltz to make the best unlikely duo of the year.
'Les Miserables'
Do you hear the people sing? Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne bring the famed Broadway musical to your local mall. Even if you can't pronounce it, even if all you know of the music is that Susan Boyle sang one song and George Costanza another, "Les Mis" is a nearly three-hour trip worth taking.
What's the best movie you saw in 2012? The worst? Tell us on Facebook.
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