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Partner Product Papers
See how leading companies around the world provide SOLIDWORKS-integrated products and services to help you make the most of your CAD investment.
Improving Profitability for Configured Products
With more and more companies turning to customization to gain market share, you need to be able to turn around sales proposals quickly, design and manufacture efficiently, and deliver on your promises consistently, all while maintaining a healthy profit. Read this White Paper to learn how companies using SOLIDWORKS and DriveWorks can configure, price, quote (CPQ) and generate manufacturing data automatically.
SOLIDWORKS 2015 Productivity Study by Dell and NVIDIA
The typical SOLIDWORKS user will upgrade their software every year. Software upgrades typically include enhancements to existing functionality and the addition of new functionality. Does a software upgrade alone make a user more productive? Could a user's productivity be further enhanced by also upgrading their hardware?
Do more with Dell Precision and SOLIDWORKS 2014
Dell and SOLIDWORKS have been working together over many years to help engineering professionals develop some incredible new innovations. This whitepaper explains some of the key reasons why Dell's latest range of Precision workstation solutions and SOLIDWORKS 2014 are the perfect solution for your projects.
Workstation vs. Desktop PC - Make the Right Professional Choice
IT organizations are faced with a choice between desktop PCs and workstations for running professional applications. This whitepaper explains some of the key reasons and why a professional application should be run on a workstation.
SOLIDWORKS is a popular suite of software tools used by engineers, designers, and other professionals at over 190,000 companies around the world. It is an ideal software application to illustrate the ISV testing process since it is used for intense computing applications such as 3D modelling and engineering design – mission critical applications that require a high level of usability, reliability and overall performance of a workstation.
SOLIDWORKS Graphics Optimization Guide
Harness the full power of SolidWorks with HP & NVIDIA! Register now to download the free graphics optimization guide that will help you take your SolidWorks designs and graphics performance to the next level!
The Simulation Desktop: Fast, CAD-Integrated FEA is a Critical Solution for Every Engineer
Harnessing the power of CAD-integrated finite element analysis (FEA) demands speed. That's why Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation (DS SolidWorks) embarked on a project two years ago to make the SolidWorks Simulation* desktop substantially faster and more efficient, so you can leverage this critical design tool to deliver innovative products to market faster than ever. DS SolidWorks achieved its goal with SolidWorks Simulation* 2014 software. Using this top-performing FEA solution on workstations based on the latest Intel® Xeon® processor E5-2600 v2 product family and Intel® Solid-State Drives (Intel® SSDs), it's now not only possible but also extremely efficient—more than 10 times as fast in some cases—to drive product experimentation right at your desk; or with mobile workstations, right in your lap. The performance gains documented in this paper can help you accelerate your workflows and enable you to quickly create, interrogate, and improve your product designs in a fast-paced iterative loop.
AMD, Dell and SolidWorks: 3D Design Demands Professional Grade Tools
Today, almost all professionals are faced with ever-increasing productivity expectations and competition while having to do more with less. Nowhere is this issue more pressing and apparent than in design engineering where engineers are expected to deal with an ever-increasing number of issues and tasks—design, simulation, visualization, collaboration, presentation, sustainability, manufacturability and beyond. The increasing level of product design complexity, coupled with the associated increase in workload, demands professional-grade CAD software, computers and graphics cards that are up to these tasks. Some of the best solutions for meeting these challenges are made possible with 3D CAD software from SolidWorks, hardware with Dell Precision™ workstations and ATI FirePro™ professional graphics cards.
Dell and SolidWorks: Fast, Affordable, Next-Generation Product Development for Small and Medium Manufacturers
Isn't it time to give your designers a powerful 3D virtual workbench and accelerate your innovation? With SolidWorks 3D solutions and Dell Precision Workstations, knowledge workers can employ powerful new virtual workbenches to accelerate their imagination and quickly iterate through three-dimensional ideas. They can test for form, fit and function, quickly eliminating bad ideas. Dell workstations also make it easy to validate design integrity, identifying and quickly removing designs that do not measure up. Learn how to do all this and more in this complimentary eBook.
Dell and SolidWorks: Selecting a 3D Solution That Helps You Design Better Products
The 2D to 3D CAD transition guide from Dell and SolidWorks.
SolidWorks and Intel: Simulation-Driven Design
Faster, easier Simulation helps you create better products with SolidWorks and Intel.


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- Title
- Increasing compliance with neuromuscular training to prevent ankle sprain in sport : Does the 'Strengthen your ankle' mobile App make a difference? A randomised controlled trial
- Creator
- van Reijen, Miriam; Vriend, Ingrid; Zuidema, Victor; van Mechelen, Willem; Verhagen, Evert
- Date
- 2016
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/104273
- Identifier
- vital:11050
- Identifier
- Identifier
- Abstract
- Background: E-health has the potential to facilitate implementation of effective measures to prevent sports injuries. Aim: We evaluated whether an interactive mobile application containing a proven effective exercise programme to prevent recurrent ankle sprains resulted in higher compliance as compared with regular written exercise materials. Methods: 220 athletes participated in this randomised controlled trial with a follow-up of 8 weeks; 110 athletes received a booklet explaining an 8-week neuromuscular training programme; 110 athletes participated in the same programme in an interactive mobile App (Strengthen your ankle). The primary outcome was compliance with the exercise programme. Secondary outcome measure was the incidence density of self-reported recurrent ankle sprains. Results: The mean compliance to the exercise scheme was 73.3% (95% CI 67.7% to 78.1%) in the App group, compared with 76.7% (95% CI 71.9% to 82.3%) in the Booklet group. No significant difference in compliance was found between groups. The incidence densities of self-reported time-loss recurrences were not significantly different between both groups (HR 3.07; 95% CI 0.62 to 15.20). Summary: This study shows that the method of implementing the exercises by using an App or a Booklet does not lead to different compliance rates. New findings: The use of a mobile App or a Booklet lead to similar compliance and injury rates in the short term. Trial registration number: The Netherlands National Trial Register NTR 4027. The NTR is part of the WHO Primary Registries. © 2016, BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
- Publisher
- BMJ Publishing Group
- Relation
- British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 50, no. 19 (2016), p. 1200-1205
- Rights
- Copyright © 2016, BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
- Subject
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences; 09 Engineering; 13 Education; Neuromuscular training; Ankle sprain; Prevention; Sport
- Reviewed
- Hits: 477
- Visitors: 447
- Downloads: 1

subset: commoncrawl


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Due to Covid-19 pandemic we operate only in Las Vegas
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Capacity : 400 lbs
Range : 15.5 miles
Rent a Scooter at World Trade Center in New York, NY. Delivery and pickup available from 8am to 10pm for your World Trade Center Scooter Rental. Many scooter brands including Drive Medical and Pride Mobility available for rent - Cloud of Goods
To secure the best deal on a World Trade Center Scooter Rental, be sure to:
There are many rental companies in New York City that provides World Trade Center Scooter Rental. Make sure to do a Google search for the reviews. e.g Cloud of Goods reviews. The reviews usually describe the experiences faced by other customers who rented a scooter.
World Trade Center Scooter Rental offers multiple rental options to fit the needs of various type of customers. Product pages of each product explain in-detail who the product is best suited for. Please click through them to find out what is the ideal choice for World Trade Center Scooter Rental.
Yes, we do! Damage Waiver provides peace of mind of any traveler who rents from us in New York City. Customers who use order World Trade Center Scooter Rental are more likely to include that optional package so that they are free to focus on the fun and excitement of the trip.
Absolutely! We can drop-off the scooter rental at any place in New York City and pick it up from a whole other place in New York City
Here are three attractions that our customers take our scooter rentals to :


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'There's one huge reason for the available tickets for the first three home games: Hefty ticket prices, which range from $39 to $154 per seat. So a pair of nose-bleed tickets goes for $78, a pair of 200 Club seats for $308. Those prices represent almost a doubling from the regular-season prices, an increase of between 86 and 89 percent for the various ticket levels.'
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / Ticket shock


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MySQL 5.7 Reference Manual Including MySQL NDB Cluster 7.5 and NDB Cluster 7.6
MyISAM index file
.MYI file) has a counter in the header
that can be used to check whether a table has been closed
properly. If you get the following warning from
CHECK TABLE or
myisamchk, it means that this counter has
gone out of sync:
clients are using or haven't closed the table properly
This warning doesn't necessarily mean that the table is corrupted, but you should at least check the table.
The counter works as follows:
The first time a table is updated in MySQL, a counter in the header of the index files is incremented.
The counter is not changed during further updates.
When the last instance of a table is closed (because a
FLUSH TABLES operation was
performed or because there is no room in the table cache),
the counter is decremented if the table has been updated at
any point.
When you repair the table or check the table and it is found to be okay, the counter is reset to zero.
To avoid problems with interaction with other processes that might check the table, the counter is not decremented on close if it was zero.
In other words, the counter can become incorrect only under these conditions:
MyISAM table is copied without first
LOCK TABLES and
MySQL has crashed between an update and the final close. (The table may still be okay because MySQL always issues writes for everything between each statement.)
A table was modified by myisamchk --recover or myisamchk --update-state at the same time that it was in use by mysqld.
Multiple mysqld servers are using the
table and one server performed a
TABLE or
TABLE on the table while it was in use by another
server. In this setup, it is safe to use
CHECK TABLE, although you
might get the warning from other servers. However,
REPAIR TABLE should be
avoided because when one server replaces the data file with
a new one, this is not known to the other servers.
In general, it is a bad idea to share a data directory among multiple servers. See Section 5.7, "Running Multiple MySQL Instances on One Machine", for additional discussion.


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Functions are defined using PL/SQL. Please refer to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for complete information on creating, altering, and dropping functions.
Use the
FUNCTION statement to remove a standalone stored function from the database.
Note:Do not use this statement to remove a function that is part of a package. Instead, either drop the entire package using the
PACKAGE statement or redefine the package without the function using the
PACKAGE statement with the
REPLACE clause.
The function must be in your own schema or you must have the
PROCEDURE system privilege.
Specify the schema containing the function. If you omit
schema, then Oracle Database assumes the function is in your own schema.
Specify the name of the function to be dropped.
Oracle Database invalidates any local objects that depend on, or call, the dropped function. If you subsequently reference one of these objects, then the database tries to recompile the object and returns an error if you have not re-created the dropped function.
If any statistics types are associated with the function, then the database disassociates the statistics types with the
FORCE option and drops any user-defined statistics collected with the statistics type.
See Also:
Oracle Database Concepts for more information on how Oracle Database maintains dependencies among schema objects, including remote objects
ASSOCIATE STATISTICS and DISASSOCIATE STATISTICS for more information on statistics type associations
Dropping a Function: Example The following statement drops the function
SecondMax in the sample schema
oe and invalidates all objects that depend upon
DROP FUNCTION oe.SecondMax;
See Also:Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the example that creates the
SecondMax function


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Spending the day surrounded by pretty shoes is ace. Spending the day taking pictures of said pretty shoes with a wonderful team is even better. This is the second shoot I've done for the (most lovely, kind, warm and friendly) Rachel Simpson and again I was lucky to work with Makeup by Jodie (the fabulous MUA) and the two loveliest models Lana and Verity. The day was spent giggling, eating coissants and pretty much playing dress up in the most gorgeous Highbury Hall. We also had the wonderful Fur Coat No Knickers, Timeless Couture, Caroline Atelier and The Wedding Club donate stunning dresses and Laurel Lime and Sharper Millinary finished things off beautifully with some gorgeous accessories... I love these shoots... and I love this team too...
..and we have LIFT OFF!!!!!!!
Holy smokes!! The website is LIVE!!!!!!
Please don't look... oh, ok you can look.. no don't look.. aghhhh!!! It's been a long time in the making and to be honest I don't wanna ramble on too much but really I'm just trying to keep you from going on it because... it's SUPER SCARY! It's scary knowing that you all can see it, you can all see me and what I'm about.. but that's exactly why it's also a good thing, a fantastic thing because the new website, the new blog.. it's exactly me.. it's everything that I'm about and I'm so proud of it.
Kelty, you are amazing.
the welcome home workshop
So guys.. I'm being brave and I'm doing a workshop... eeeeeeeek!
Ever since I thought about doing a workshop I've had permanent butterflies... but they're excited butterflies.. the thought of having a room full of enthusiastic and passionate people who all have the same feeling about their art gives me total goosebumps... and I want to make it the most useful, enjoyable and inspiring day possible where you all walk away feeling inspired by the bucket load with practical tools that you can apply to your businesses and with a bunch of new friends who will be supportive to the end.
So with all that in mind I thought Welcome Home was the most perfect name for a workshop that was all about a learning community.. somewhere where you feel most comfortable.. a creative home if you like.
So if you are interested in finding out more then please sign up to the mailing list and I'll have some more info about when, where and what's involved very soon....
It's really important for me that the workshop is catered around what you want to learn so please feel free to add comments to this post about anything that you feel you would most benefit from.. the more input from you guys the better.. :)Kapow!!!!!!!!
at 16:20 4 comments:
Labels: news, photography, training, us, Welcome Home Workshop, workshops
things are a changin'...
You may or may not have noticed already but there's about to be a few changes around here.. the blog has had a lovely little facelift thanks to the most wonderful and crazy talented Kelty (I love this lady a ton) from The Weaver House (formally known as Steep Street) and now that I have such a pretty blog I promise to use it a whole lot more... scouts honour.
A rebrand has been pretty overdue for a while (a very long while) but I'm really glad I've waited. I know who I am as a photographer and where I want to go so much more now and feel excited and ready to embrace the next chapter... so watch this space for a brand new website, lots of weddings, a heap more personal stuff and some workshop and office news... it's all a bit bloody exciting!!
Think we might need a lie down.
|Image of us by Featherlove
at 22:18 4 comments:
Labels: business, news, personal, photography, us
The new blog design has given me such a boost to blog more! It was beginning to feel like a bit of a chore last year, especially as I had the old style of blogger which pretty much meant uploading one photo at a time and physically changing the size of each image in the html code... (yup, massive ball ache).. and when you have about 120 images from a wedding to blog it really isn't fun. But now it's a hell of a lot easier and I LOVE my new blog design so much.. any excuse to post is good! So.. I'm trying my hand at a few mood boards.. I joined pinterest a few months ago and can quite happily admit that I am seriously addicted. I love my boards, I love my pins, I love pinning... But there is one slight drawback.. hence my first mood board...
Things I've pinned and ended up buying... (oh dear)...
1. Antique Floral handle
2. Jamaica Curve Heel Glitz Shoes
3. Autumn Silk Dress (in the sale reduced from £145 to £45!)
4. Lucca Pleated Midi Skirt (in the sale reduced from £55 to £10!)
5. Floral Cushion Cover
6. Sheer Floral Dress
7. Leather bow in Gold
To have a look at what I'll no doubt be buying in the next few months check out my pinterest boards.. but I take no responsibility for what you might then buy because of it.
Things I've pinned and ended up buying... (oh dear)...
1. Antique Floral handle
2. Jamaica Curve Heel Glitz Shoes
3. Autumn Silk Dress (in the sale reduced from £145 to £45!)
4. Lucca Pleated Midi Skirt (in the sale reduced from £55 to £10!)
5. Floral Cushion Cover
6. Sheer Floral Dress
7. Leather bow in Gold
To have a look at what I'll no doubt be buying in the next few months check out my pinterest boards.. but I take no responsibility for what you might then buy because of it.
at 00:41 3 comments:
Labels: me, mood boards, personal, Pinterest
music to my ears
I'm going to be regularly posting more personal bits and pieces from here on in and one huge thing for me that I love sharing is music. Once a week I'll be posting a video of something that I've been listening to and hopefully you a) won't of heard of it b) will go out and buy it and c) have a new song that you love..
First up is Sea of Bees. I love her.
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!!!
First up is Sea of Bees. I love her.
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!!!
at 16:36 1 comment:
Labels: music to my ears, personal
one frame...
at 01:18 1 comment:
Labels: frames, news, photography, products


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Auto Publishers Price Starting at
*Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your atual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, battery pack age/condition (hybrid only) and other factors.VIEW OUR INVENTORY
Versatility; standard all-wheel drive; spacious interior; good ground clearance; fuel-efficient transmissions
Following a complete redesign last year, the 2016 Subaru Outback returns with only a few changes. Among them, the windshield wipers now feature an auto on/off mode. Subaru's Starlink infotainment system has added capabilities like crash notification and stolen vehicle recovery assistance. Finally, the EyeSight safety system adds Lane Keep Assist, which activates above 40 mph, detects lane departure and seeks to correct it.


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Via iOWNTHEWORLD: High On a Mountaintop, Tribute to the Heroes of Benghazi by Chris Cassone:
The protest song of the year:
Tribute to the heroes of the Benghazi attack on our embassy: Tyrone Woods, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith and Ambassador Chris Stevens…and a rebuke of the treason that let them die. All proceeds (that's ALL…except the Bandcamp 15%) will go to the SEAL NSW Family Foundation.
Downloads at http://chriscassonetea.bandcamp.com.
SEALS at http://www.seal-nswfamilyfoundation.org/
Bill Whittle's Advice to Conservatives
Bill Whittle; conservatives need to stand up and proudly proclaim their conservativeness. Unabashedly affirm capitalism & conservatism is the only solution. Don't shy away from being proud of earning money, being successful. Also, aggressively defend all American citizens, servicemen, American installations around the world.
ET Williams, Whatever Happened to Common Sense? Revealing Obama's Racist Supporters:
Via The American Thinker: A Tribute to Communism:
After many disturbing attempts in history, it seems the ideology of communism still has legions of fans and supporters.
#My2K: President Obama Taxing The Rich Won't Work:
PJTV: Rotten Tomatoes Weekend Roundup, Thanksgiving Edition: What Movies Stink and What Movies Soar?
Sandra Fluke Person of the Year?!
And now for some culture, people:
Mr. Darcy's Proposal – Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1995)
Lyrics to High on a Mountaintop:
High On A Mountaintop
I heard the man on the radio, said, "My son is gone and what's to show?"
Defending who knows what for who knows why.
Half a world away they watched for real, they saw the soul of a Navy Seal
"Who gave the order for my son to die?"
Evil men telling evil lies
Just to win a vote you let them die
While that drone would only hover.
Finger pointing. They're on the run.
Investigations have all begun.
How much more will they uncover?
High on a mountaintop. That's the only place where I can stop this crying
High on a mountaintop. Closer to God and further from all this lying.
You know it stands to reason, and it's shaping up like treason, we all know.
He didn't even have to venture in, but when his brothers, they all needed him,
He was on the spot…not flying to Vegas.
Real leaders lead when they are called,
Never thinking that they'll drop the ball
But drop to their knees for Him who has made us
9-11, baby, you should have known
Al Queida coming and they're all alone
But where is the outrage for THIS story?
Laser target, in his sight
60 to one, yea the odds looked right.
You'll never understand their glory
HOAM. It's the only place I can go to stop this hurting.
HOAM Justice will come one day, I know for certain.
-I know I cannot runaway, but give us just another single day
-These heroes live forever but a coward dies a thousand times.
-You know it stands to reason but it's shaping up like treason, we all know.
Half a world away they watched for real, they saw the soul of a Navy Seal
"Who gave the order for my son to die?"


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Current Lead Times
18" Sample : Ready to ship!
2'3" x 3'9" : Ready to ship!
3'6" x 5'6" : Ready to ship!
5'0" x 7'6" : Ready to ship!
7'9" x 9'9" : Ready to ship!
8'6" x 12'0" : Ready to ship!
9'3" x 13'0" : Ready to ship!
Hand-woven by skilled artisans, the Priya Denim / Rust Area Rug from Loloi offers beautiful tonal designs accentuated by a carefully curated color palette. Delicate yet strong, Priya is an instant classic made for today's home.
Hand Woven
51% Cotton | 29% Polyester | 12% Viscose | 8% Wool
PRY-06 Denim/Rust
Colors: Red, Orange, Ivory, Blue
Clean spills immediately by blotting with a clean, dry sponge or cloth. Appropriate rug pad is highly recommended on all surfaces to prevent slipping, add cushion, and improve durability. For vacuuming, use a vacuum cleaner without a beater bar or one where you can set the bar to the highest pile setting. If your vacuum has variable power settings, set on low. Vacuum full length of the rug, turn and repeat to the next area, rather than back and forth motion.
Watch the rug debut for the Priya area rug collection!
Additional Priya colorways in this collection are below:
Loloi Priya Bone / Bluestone Area Rug:
Loloi Priya Ivory / Grey Area Rug:
Loloi Priya Natural / Blue Area Rug:
Loloi Priya Navy / Ivory Area Rug:
Loloi Priya Ocean / Ivory Area Rug:
Loloi Priya Olive / Graphite Area Rug:
Loloi Priya Brick / Navy Area Rug:
We recommend our Ultra Hold Rug Pad to extend the life of the rug and to securely hold the rug in place. More info here: https://www.amethysthome.com/products/ultra-hold-rug-padWant to see how it looks in your space? Send us a picture of the area to firstname.lastname@example.com and we will integrate the product into your space. Please allow up to 48 hours to turn this around for you!
Monica discusses our return policy and design process in this short video below.
Online Return & Exchange Policy
All Amethyst finds are hand-selected by our designers for their quality, beauty, and unmistakable style. Our design team is available to assist you with sending samples, measurement guidance, and graphic design so you can envision the piece in your home before purchasing. For this reason, all furniture, rugs, art, and lighting are non-refundable. Please find our damage policy below — thankfully this rarely happens!
Design Assistance Before Ordering
We want to make sure that your piece looks gorgeous & makes sense in your space. Feel free to e-mail us pictures & measurements before ordering to ensure a seamless purchase. We will come to your rescue by sending samples, better photos, and more specific details about the piece.
What You Can Expect
We will send you a pre-authorized return label within 2 business days. It will be your responsibility to safely package your item and drop off at the nearest Fedex/UPS within 7 business days.
Any eligible refund or store credit will be credited to your account once the item has been received and thoroughly inspected for damage.
Damage Policy
In the event that your order arrives damaged, we will replace or repair the item if the item can be replaced or repaired. If the item is one-of-a-kind, no longer available, or cannot be repaired, a full refund will be issued.
Please take pictures of the packaging & damage so that we can submit a claim.
Thank you for shopping with us!
Monica explains our shipping policy and the shipping options you have at checkout in this short video below.
Amethyst Shipping Guide
For items that can ship standard -- we partner with UPS ground!
Rates auto-calculated at check-out
- In-stock items are typically en route within 4-5 business days
- You will receive a tracking update via e-mail when available
- We do not deliver to P.O. boxes
For large & custom items (i.e. art, furniture, custom upholstery, oversized rugs...):
Threshold Delivery $95.00
White Glove Delivery $175.00
- We partner with an excellent threshold and white glove delivery network
- Our operations manager will be in touch to schedule delivery date and time with delivery company
- Non-custom items typically ship within 4-5 business days and can be in transit for 2-4 weeks depending on your location (this is typical for freight deliveries!)
- Custom items typically are in production for 8-12 weeks and in transit for 3-4 weeks
- We do not deliver to P.O. boxes
Special Requests
We do our best to accommodate special requests such as delivery time windows. Please inform us as soon as possible of any special arrangement requests.
We are currently shipping to the continental 48 USA states & Canada. Please inquire about international shipping rates by e-mailing firstname.lastname@example.com -- we will work with you on a custom quote.
We love keeping you informed and welcome phone calls or e-mails at any time to check the status of your order -- you can reach us at (402) 502-9333 or email@example.com
Our team monitors orders daily and loves to follow up with you regarding the status of your order -- including any potential unexpected delays at time of ordering.


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The Pay Off: The Best Film of 2006
For many of the movies on PopMatters' 2006 list of the year's best films, it is clear that a heavy personal and professional stake was riding on the final product.
Filmmaking by its very nature is a purely aesthetic gamble. No matter how certain you are of the results, or the material (script, actors, crew) that you put into a project, the final product is still very much undecided. With factors such as critical reaction and audience acceptance in the balance, movies are a wager between art and commerce, emotional resonance and the all important business bottom line. On occasion, both can come together to create a universally considered classic. On the other hand, reviewers can champion efforts ignored by the general public, while the masses can elevate the most mediocre movie to blockbuster status. In general, 2006 was a year of such enormous prospects. A certain man of steel made his way back to theaters, while a director known for his sly twist endings delivered an adult fairy tale that was more flawed than fascinating. Sequels spun out of control while prestidigitation argued for its place as part of the cinematic canon. With gore-filled genre turns combating yet another attempt at making the musical a viable commercial creation, it was indeed another divergent display of talent and tenacity.
For many of the movies on PopMatters' 2006 list of the year's best films, it is clear that a heavy personal and professional stake was riding on the final product. Not just a threat to an individual's reputation or bankability, but a real life bet between capability and execution. How else would you explain ideas as diverse as a film noir set in high school, an insider look at the death of Princess Diana, a cosmic love story centering on immortality, or a crazy Kazakhstan reporter deconstructing the still ugly American bias? Between serious science fiction, shot on digital experimentation, and references to something called "Pillow Pants", the past 12 months saw crime, punishment, corruption and heroism all extolled through clever dialogue, gorgeous vistas, directorial prowess and acting excellence. While the risks were indeed large, it was nothing but jackpots for viewers lucky enough to witness these ongoing games of chance. What the pay off will be in the long term cannot detract from the 20 examples of excellence listed here.
Therefore, from 20 to 1, PopMatters presents its picks for the Best Films of 2006:
Film: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Studio: Tartan Films
Cast: Ion Fiscuteanu, Luminita Gheorghiu, Doru Ana, Dana Dogaru
MPAA rating: R
First date: 2005
US Release Date: 2006-04-26 (Limited release)
Image: http://www.popmatters.com/film/reviews/d/images/death-of-mr-lazarescu.jpg
Display as: List
List number: 20
Romanian director Cristi Puiu's film follows a dying old drunkard, the aptly-named Dante Lazarescu, on a long night's journey through the inferno of contemporary health care, misdiagnosed and dismissed, shuttled from hospital to hospital, with only a lone, crabby EMT looking out for him. The miracle of the film is that a journey towards death breathes with so much cinematic life -- the constant overlapping dialogue, rich with a uniquely Eastern European sense of dark humor; the long-take verité scenes, stunningly choreographed and acted; the Frederick Wiseman-level view of social institutions and how they so often fail those they are supposed to serve. In telling the story of one man, Puiu captures a fleeting portrait of a whole society in tragicomic flux. Mark Labowskie
Film: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Kenneth Davitian, Pamela Anderson, Luenell, Pat Haggerty, Daniel Castro
Website: http://www.boratmovie.com/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/borat/
First date: 2006
Distributor: Fox
US Release Date: 2006-11-03 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/film_art/b/borat-poster.jpg
Display as: List
List number: 19
Ricky The Office Gervais was recently asked whether he worried about his jokes involving racism and the handicapped being misconstrued. He replied that modern humor is different in that where once we were asked to laugh AT the taboo, today we mock the ATTITUDE towards the taboo. No better distinction can be offered for Sacha Baron Cohen's brilliant and controversial creation, Borat Sagdiyev, the anti-Semetic/anti-Gypsy Kazakh telejournalist with the Harry Reems moustache. Sent to the "US and A" to report on lifestyles abroad, Borat is so politically incorrect that his targets easily lower their guard to reveal their ignorance. This is biting satire on the level of Twain, Swift and Bierce, only sold in a package resembling Jackass. The only downside of Borat's success(!) is that his fame unfortunately insures his extinction. Once this thing hits DVD, there won't be a racist, misogynist or bigot left to fool. Brian Holcomb
Film: Inland Empire
Studio: Absurda
Cast: Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, Justin Theroux
Website: http://www.inlandempirecinema.com/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.inlandempirecinema.com/
First date: 2006
Distributor: 518 Media
US Release Date: 2006-12-02 (Very limited release)
UK Release Date: Unavailable
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/features_art/i/inland-empire-poster.jpg
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List number: 18
This year's great leap in artificial intelligence comes from David Lynch's latest, a bulbous brain constructed from celluloid. Inland Empire is an EEG of a deteriorating personality tuned to the comic absurdities, emotional pivots, rambling thoughts, leaps of logics, and murky back alleys of the unguarded mind. Moment to moment its labyrinthine logic can be maddening, but the overlying arc of Laura Dern's -- its search for a workable whole is forcefully clear with an unexpectedly poignant finish. Despite the flat rendering of the digital video images, no film this year felt as fascinatingly and cinematically three-dimensional. Michael Buening
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Film: Babel
Studio: Paramount Vantage
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Kôji Yakusho, Adriana Barraza, Elle Fanning
Website: http://www.paramountvantage.com/babel/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/babel/
First date: 2006
Distributor: Paramount
US Release Date: 2006-10-27 (Limited release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/features_art/b/babel-poster.jpg
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List number: 17
The third collaboration between writer Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel is more ambitious than Amores Perros or 21 Grams, and not as strong or cohesive as either. But even as it overreaches to intertwine its disparate stories, the movie also achieves thrilling highs. With a narrative that ranges from a man trying to help his critically wounded wife while stranded in Morocco to a deaf Japanese teenager desperate to lose her virginity, Arriaga and Inarritu lay it on a bit thick in themes and dramatic histrionics. But it doesn't really matter when the director can turn simple acts, like a difficult phone call and a drug-fuelled club entrance, into some of the year's most indelible cinematic images. Amos Posner
Film: The Proposition
Studio: First Look
Cast: Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Danny Huston, Emily Watson, John Hurt, Richard Wilson
Website: http://www.thepropositionfilm.com/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theproposition/
First date: 2005
US Release Date: 2006-05-05 (Limited release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/features_art/p/propostition-trailer.jpg
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List number: 16
Worthy of being considered alongside the work of Ford and Peckinpah, John Hillcoat's Australian Western presents a moral dilemma of Shakespearean richness: in order to save his innocent younger brother, bandit Guy Pearce must track down and kill his older brother, a vicious murderer and rapist. Everything in the film is suffused with ambiguity: the sheriff (Ray Winstone), determined to "bring civilization to this land," risks losing his own humanity in the process; the villain (Danny Huston) is a courtly, literate, sentimental gentleman who's loyal to his family; the attempts to mete out "justice" result in wasteful slaughter (this is the true History of Violence); and surrounding everything is the raw beauty of the Australian landscape, soaked in sun, dust and blood, refusing to be civilized. Mark Labowskie
Film: Children of Men
Studio: Universal Pictures
Cast: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
Website: http://www.childrenofmen.net/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/childrenofmen/
First date: 2006
Distributor: Universal Pictures
US Release Date: 2006-12-25 (Limited release)
UK Release Date: 2006-09-22 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/features_art/c/children-of-men-poster.jpg
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List number: 15
With the dearth of serious science fiction in today's cinematic stratagem (it's all Star Wars and/or Trek for anyone considering a speculative epic) the biggest surprise with Alfonso Cuaron's adaptation of P.D. James future shock novel is how immediate it all feels. Clive Owen steals center stage as an unlikely hero coerced into helping humanity, the apocalypse not achieved through weapons or war, but the lack of fertility. Part cautionary tale, part critique on current world events (including the US involvement in Iraq and terrorism) this amazingly effective thriller is as thought provoking as it is action packed. A particular sequence, shot in one continuous take, represents the year's best edge of your seat moment. Bill Gibron
Film: Inside Man
Studio: Universal
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Chiwetel Ejoifor, Willem Dafoe
MPAA rating: R
First date: 2006
Distributor: Universal
US Release Date: 2006-03-24
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/film_art/i/inside-man-2006-poster.jpg
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List number: 14
Somehow, the words "Spike Lee" and "commercial hit" don't seem to belong together. Though he's had his fair share of cinematic success -- She's Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X -- his name is just not synonymous with mainstream acceptance. But with this perfectly plotted heist flick, navigated brilliantly by stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, Lee learned his kinetic film style could actually translate into big time box office receipts. Along with his devastating documentary on Hurricane Katrina (When the Levees Broke), it's been a banner year for one of film's fiercest -- and most profound voices. Bill Gibron
Film: The Science of Sleep (La Science des rêves)
Studio: Warner Independent Pictures
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jean-Michel Bernard, Emma de Caunes, Alain Chabat, Stéphane Metzger, Miou-Miou
Website: http://wip.warnerbros.com/scienceofsleep/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/thescienceofsleep/
First date: 2006
US Release Date: 2006-09-15 (Limited release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/film_art/s/science-of-sleep-poster.jpg
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List number: 13
Over the course of the last couple of years, French filmmaker Michel Gondry has become the king of comedic quirk, translating two of arcane scribe Charlie Kaufman's more inventive scripts -- 2001's Human Nature and 2004's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- into amazing flights of fancy. Now, working from his own story, he gives us The Science of Sleep an amazing effort of visual astonishment and emotional whimsy. This unusual little fable, about a man who can't tell the difference between dreams and reality, features inventive cinematic cues so clever that they, initially, look completely illogical. But Gondry finds a way to make them soar. Bill Gibron
Film: Clerks II
Studio: MGM
Studio: Weinstein
Cast: Brian O'Halleron, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Website: http://www.clerks2.com/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/clerks2/
First date: 2006
US Release Date: 2006-07-21 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/features_art/c/clerks-2-poster.jpg
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List number: 12
Many may marvel at the inclusion of this title on a year-end list, but there is much more to Kevin Smith's solid sequel to his original indie effort than dirty jokes about bestiality. As he did a decade before, Smith speaks for a generation unstuck in time, a group growing up not understanding their part in the overall scheme of society. While dialogue has always been his forte, Smith the director finally delivers scenes of pure cinematic sparkle -- a moving montage to the Smashing Pumpkins "1979" and a throwback musical number to the Jackson 5's "ABC" mark the two emotional extremes this fine film goes through. Bill Gibron
Director: Jonathan Dayton
Director: Valerie Faris
Film: Little Miss Sunshine
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Cast: Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear
Website: http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/littlemisssunshine/
MPAA rating: R
Trailer: http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2718548
First date: 2006
US Release Date: 2006-07-26 (Limited release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/dvd_art/l/little-miss-sunshine.jpg
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List number: 11
"Not F**cking fried chicken again!" roars an incredible Alan Arkin in the year's best tragic comedy. Tragic in it's most cosmic definition as life just keeps beating down on an ordinary American family who are certainly no better than any other. In many ways they are worse; a fine collection of depressed losers spinning their wheels in the fast lane of the middle class. This is a fine film that might end up a victim of going from underrated to overhyped after the Awards season. Tell us all to shut the hell up and watch what wonders can be done with a VW van and a little determination. Dreams are shattered one by one and the only thing the Hoover family can do is to make do. You'll be surprised how much you come to care about them all. Brian Holcomb


text: "Today I pushed out a new ISO of my Wayland Live CD project, which is named for my favorite celebrity. For this new Wayland CD, I wrote a new login manager with Bash and Zenity and Expect (and Script) that fully runs on a Wayland server (weston). Now X is no longer involved in the boot process, and X does not start, (unless you use an X application with xwayland), because I replaced LightDM with the new loginmanager."


text:
Atlantic Canada co-operatives collection
- Collection
- 1900-2002, predominant 1950-1999
The Atlantic Canada co-operatives collection consists of approximately 15 meters of published and unpublished materials. This includes books, serials, brochures, loose papers, photographs and slides, maps, audio and visual material, and artifacts.
The fonds contains information about many individual co-operatives and credit unions, as well as documents from larger region-wide co-operative organizations. There is also a large section of general co-operative literature about co-operation as a social movement, in Canada and around the world.
The age of the materials ranges from the early 1900s up to 2002. The majority spans from the 1950s to the 1990s.


text:
If there's one thing that readers, writers and the publishing world have all learned from the likes of the Harry Potter and Twilight series, it is that children's publishing seems to be going through a series of cycling genres right now. With the worldwide success of J. K. Rowling's then relatively unique series, the children's and young adult fantasy genre exploded with a glut of fantasy books — I should know, I was submitting my own YA fantasy manuscript to agents at the time and received nothing but rejections; this was in part due to the sheer number of YA fantasy manuscripts that agents and editors were receiving at that point, as well as possibly because my manuscript may not have been the work of pure, original genius I deemed it to be; but we won't talk about that here – that still continues in the current time, partially because many of these YA fantasy books were the first in a series.
Then came Twilight and its overwhelming success, and then there was the glut of vampire books which has now slowed down. It has slowed down in part, because the next cycle of the children's and YA genre has begun in the form of the dystopian story, which is because of the success of the Hunger Games series, which has spawned a large number of quickly written and published books on a doomed future involving teenagers. Just as with the stories about wizards and vampires, the ones about this hopeless future often straddle the line of a decent story and being outright asinine.
The same cycle phenomenon can certainly be applied to the adult science fiction and fantasy genre with the vampire, zombie, and post-apocalyptic stories, but because of just how bestselling Harry Potter and Twilight continue to be, with the current teen readers – as well as new teen readers discovering these respective series each year – publishers know there is a lot of money to be made from these books. It may not have the complexity and longevity of Harry Potter, or the sexual frisson and word-of-mouth support as Twilight, but if it's a book with a cool cover that looks like it could be as good as Hunger Games, then kids and teens are going to buy it!
This is, of course, in part due to the fact that publishing is in a very uncertain and unpredictable place right now, with the advent of the ebook, and the future is not as concrete a s it has been in the past; but it's also easier to just publish books that are popular, much like Hollywood has turned more to making movies of adapted screenplays instead of original ones.
Rachel Manija Brown, author of All the Fishes Come Home to Roost, has in fact done a series of posts on her blog that partly inspired this column.
"I got food poisoning and downloaded a bunch of first chapters of random recent YA science fiction to distract myself. To my amusement, most of them turned out to be dystopias – and many of them very similar dystopias. The idea that the government can control absolutely everything is meant to be horrifying in the books, but becomes hilarious when you read ten first chapters in a row in which the government controls your clothing, tattoos, water, emotions, marriage, writing, computers, jobs, college majors, families, games, and virginity."
The original post can be found here. When asked why she thought so many YA dystopian books are being written, she responded:
"It's a popular trend. Only time will tell whether it will have staying power or quickly fade away. While it's always tempting to link trends to zeitgeists, it's too easy to take any trend at all and then explain it away by linking it to something happening in the world. ("Big hair was popular in the eighties because it symbolized the empty grandiosity of America's posturing on the world stage.") My best guess is that YA dystopias are popular now because people really liked The Hunger Games and wanted to read more books like that. That, or both YA novelists and teenagers are afraid of nanny government."
What I think is being crucially missed here with these dystopian stories is a message and resonance. When you think of some of the dystopian classics like 1984, The Jungle, Brave New World, and The Handmaid's Tale to name a few, there was a strong message in each of these books, of a particular world that had gone down a wrong path, a path the real world should never make the mistake of going down. They were all possible worlds that could perhaps be, but we knew we could never let it go that far. The dystopian stories mentioned below are missing this important message; they are just there as a quick, simple story that leaves no lasting impression. Rachel weighs in on this:
"If the main thing I get from a book is the idea that teenage girls having sex is bad or that having the government control everything down to the color of your socks is bad or environmental destruction is bad – all messages contained in a number of YA dystopias I've read recently – then the book is too message-driven for my taste."
In fifty or a hundred years, readers will still know of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, but I'm pretty sure any of the books I'm about to mention likely won't be remembered.
But enough chitchat, lets get to the books . . .
Hunger Games: We begin first with the trilogy that really started the runaway train ride of the dystopian story. The Hunger Games are an event held each year in the Capitol of a changed America in a distant future, where two teens between the ages of twelve and eighteen are chosen from each district to participate in a unique arena where they must fight and battle each other to the death. The last remaining boy or girl alive wins and gets to spend the rest of their lives in splendor. The Hunger Games are meant to be a reminder to all the citizens of the districts of how bad times used to be, and how everyone should be happy and grateful to the Capitol and the ruling government.
Water Wars by Cameron Stracher: In this future, American is a different place, with a whole new map of six republics that are at war with each other after what was known as the "Great Panic." Here water has become scarce, as the great lakes and rivers have dried up. Republics now fight for rare wells and water sources for survival. Water consumption is controlled by a government body and it's all about the haves and the have nots. This is also the story about a girl and a special boy who has the ability to "divine" sources of water.
Maze Runner by James Dashner: The first in a trilogy, this is perhaps the most derivative of The Hunger Games, featuring an enclosed maze world where a boy finds himself mysteriously arriving by elevator. There he finds sixty other boys who have been trapped there for some time; a new boy arrives every thirty days. Then the first girl arrives.
Matched by Ally Condie: The first in a trilogy, in this world nothing is left to chance and the Society Officials decide all aspects of daily life, so when the main character has her husband – who is her best friend – chosen for her, she believes the Society Officials know best, until she installs her Match microchip and sees a different boy.
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien: The first in a trilogy, in this changed world women and girls have their sole roles of childrearing defined for them, with the main character playing the part of a midwife with her mother. The first three children must be offered to the government with the possibility of a better life in the city. Apparently it also involves inbreeding and "numerous birthing scenes."
Divergent by Veronica Roth: The first in a trilogy, in this world a dystopian Chicago is divided into five factions dedicated to the development of a specific virtue – Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent), and on a specific day each year all sixteen year olds must choose the faction they will devote the rest of their lives to.
Delirium by Lauren Oliver: In this world of a controlling government, young Lena Haloway is looking forward to her eighteenth birthday, when she will finally be cured of "deliria," which in this world is any form of love. Her mother committed suicide and her last words were "I love you." That is until she meets a young man who changes her mind . . .
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher: The first in a series and originally published in Great Britain, Incarceron is a prison where people are born and die and know of little else, and Finn wants to escape, but legend says there has only ever been one person who has. Joining up with the warden's daughter who also wants to escape, they discover a crystal key and a unique means of communicating with each other.
Wither by Lauren DeStefano: The first in a trilogy where scientists have tried to create perfectly genetically engineered children, and the first generation is nearly immortal, while successive generations begin to die early in age: girls at age 20, boys at age 25, and girls are now kidnapped and taken for brothels and marriages to breed children.
Bumped by Megan McCafferty: A virus has made everyone over the age of eighteen infertile and unable to conceive, turning young teens into baby-making machines for a certain fee, making them the most important members of society. Apparently, Bumped is written with a tongue-in-cheek attitude and humor, indicating that the author is at least aware of what she's creating.
Enclave by Ann Aguirre: In this doomed world, children don't earn the right to be named until the age of fifteen, since most of them apparently don't survive that long. They are trained in one of three focuses: breeders, builders, or hunters, which is identified by how many scars they bear.
XVI by Julia Karr: Colloquially referred to as "Sexteen," this book perhaps represents the worst of the worst as far as storyline goes. The year is 2150 and girls, when they turn the important age of sixteen, are branded with a tattoo that is supposed to protect them, but in fact notifies everyone around that they are now "sexually available." It seems to be the book that puts women at the very lowest level of society.
This list by no means is comprehensive of the YA dystopian genre. I invite readers to comment of other bizarre and extreme books that they have discovered in this genre; or perhaps they saw something deeper and more meaningful in one of the books they read listed above.


text:
I am running the pi camera and want to know if I can make the output of the camera my desktop image. The camera is running constantly and I am using software to capture a short video whenever a motion sensor is triggered.
It would be nice to see the current camera output on the desktop.


text:
Welcome to Flashback Friday: Tales From The Log [1], a final-season tribute to Shea Stadium as viewed primarily through the prism of what I have seen there for myself, namely 367 regular-season and 13 postseason games to date. The Log records the numbers. The Tales tell the stories.
8/24/06 Th St. Louis 12-8 Williams 2 174-142 W 6-2
Win or lose, I've been happy at Shea Stadium far more often than I've not been. I've been happy amid playoff games and playoff runs, next to loved ones and liked ones, simply happy to be at a Mets game.
But putting aside stimuli like an enormous comeback win or a series-clinching home run, I don't know that I've ever been happier there than I was on a Thursday night two Augusts ago.
I was positively giddy that night. Internally giddy, I suppose, but that's what counts.
It was a nice win, not spectacular or death-defying. The Mets clearly outplayed the Cardinals. The 2006 Mets clearly outplayed everybody.
On the 7 in, a fellow from Holland asked me for directions to the park, and took off his cheapo knockoff Yankees cap to do so when he felt my disapproving glare.
Before it started, I went to the advance window and bought some tickets to a future game, just a for the hell of it Monday night in September.
On my way to my seat, I stopped off in Loge to pick up something from my friend Dan, detoured in Mezz to give something to my friend Jim and then rejoined Jace at our seats.
It had rained a bit and the game got underway late, but it wasn't a deluge or anything. It was pleasantly cool for August. (A stiff breezed kicked up when Brian Bannister loosened in the pen.) One of us got fries and they did get a little damp, but that probably improved them.
Between Mets runs and Cardinal outs, we took turns spotting retro jerseys down below in Field Level and tried to figure out why people would choose to buy and wear these in particular. The top three:
3) Jose Oquendo, 11, Cardinals
2) Gary Carter, 8, Expos
1) O.J. Simpson, 32, Bills
Leaving the park, I spied the Holland guy. He appeared to have ditched his offensive headgear altogether.
And I went home and wrote about it [2] some.
What I think stays with me beyond Dave Williams' yeoman 6-1/3 innings (Gary Bennett's homer his only trivial blemish), Shawn Green's maiden Met appearance (and RBI single, no less) and Carlos Delgado's two-run blast is the talk Jason and I had en route to the El — we didn't realize the outfield parking lot had been cordoned off for then-unnamed New Ballpark, so it took a while to walk — and on the 7 thereafter.
We dissected our roster, suggested to each other who would or wouldn't be ideal to have around for the NLDS, sized up potential October opponents and didn't think twice (as he noted then [3]) that we were jinxing anybody. That wasn't 2006 thinking. In 2006, we looked forward to good things. In 2006, our planning was for us to burnish our standing in the game, not to overhaul our organization.
Hanging with Jace and saying hi to Dan and Jim and maybe intimidating Dutch out of his cheapo knockoff Yankees cap was of course wonderful. The Mets sweeping the Cardinals (this was two nights after Beltran whacked that joyous [4] ninth-inning winner off Isringhausen), it goes without saying, was fantastic. Knowing we were heading to the postseason was intoxicating; those random tickets I bought beforehand wound up being for the division-clincher [5]. But the best part…the goddamn absolute best part…was the security I felt regarding the Mets.
This blog was built on nights in which Jason and I sat at Shea Stadium and talked over the Mets' fortunes and the Mets' status and the Mets' chances and the Mets' future. There was always something more they had to do to make us happy. On this night, sure we plotted their route to the 2006 World Series, sure we wanted that, but we knew they'd arrived as much as any team could arrive in late August. This was what we, individually and together (and implicitly in conjunction with millions like us), had been waiting for. Not the championship, but the knowledge that we were right there competing for it, favored for it, needing no more than a little of our amateur GM fine-tuning to capture it. We anticipated the next month and the next month after that, but not for what the Mets had to do to finally get better. They were better.
That feeling, I tell you…it was the best.


text:
Torrington mother's struggle with narcotics a recurring problem
TORRINGTON >> Amirah Alfar looks like a soccer mom in a Torrington booking mug shot.
She is primped. Her face is made up. Frizzy, bleached blond hair falls to her shoulders.
In a sleeveless tank top, she stands in front of a white slab of concrete, smiling.
Whether a facade, her posture does not give off the impression of someone unnerved by a felony charge of risk of injury.
Appearances appear important for 30-year-old Alfar, especially since many have already formed an opinion about her after she boarded a plane June 27 with her 1-month-old infant daughter, Shiloh Gilbert-Alfar, bound for Prescott Valley, Arizona, a step ahead of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, which wanted custody of her child for fear the baby was in "immediate physical danger from surroundings."
Baby Shiloh was born addicted to drugs and was placed in an intensive care unit at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury because she suffered withdrawal. According to DCF's temporary custody order, Alfar tested positive for cocaine, opiates, methadone and benzodiazepines while she was pregnant.
The baby's father, William Caicedo, is a felon, convicted most recently of assault.
A bear of a man with hulking biceps, Caicedo was outside of Alar's three-story brick home on Hillside Avenue on Friday pruning shrubs and refused to say if Alfar was home.
"We don't care what anybody f----- thinks of us when they read the newspaper," he said.
The woman's attorney, Jessica Audet, has already launched a counterattack, claiming part of a Torrington police warrant that says Alfar is a "known heroin user" is inaccurate.
Audet said in an interview this week she has proof: negative urine tests from a "reputable facility in Connecticut" stretching to before the baby was born.
Audet received requests from multiple newspapers to release test results but is waiting till trial.
She wouldn't answer specific questions from The Register Citizen about allegations raised in DCF's temporary custody order.
"Whoever released this violated confidentiality statutes," she said. "I'm not gonna further violate them by discussing anything in the OTC."
Troubled past
Everything about Alfar's well-crafted persona is at odds with police's and DCF's unflattering portrayal of her as a drug-addicted mother who put her infant at risk by breast-feeding.
More than a week after she and the baby turned up in Prescott Valley, Arizona, following an Amber Alert and wild cross-country trek to the home of her grandparents, Alfar showed up on authorities' doorstep, surrendering to local police early Wednesday morning after they issued a warrant earlier this week.
Federal authorities who tracked Alfar and the baby to Arizona could also pursue a case since she crossed state lines, a former FBI agent told The Register Citizen.
Without a criminal record despite previous scrapes with Torrington police, Alfar was briefly held in police custody on $100,000 bond before a judge agreed to let her go on a promise to appear at arraignment, convinced Alfar posed no risk to society. Her baby is already back in Connecticut, in the hands of child welfare workers.
DCF says Alfar has a history of abusing heroin, crystal meth and ecstasy and showed blatant disregard for the child during her pregnancy.
In a temporary custody order, DCF says it provided Alfar multiple avenues to avoid having her infant child taken. These included hair tests and drug screenings, in addition to services from case workers, CT Counseling, the Susan B. Anthony Project and VNA Health Care.
But drugs have a stranglehold over Alfar, DCF says.
They are part of the reason Salvatore Latina fought for, and was granted, temporary full custody of the couple's 7-year-old daughter.
In an interview, he said he would "rather deal with the devil" than Alfar.
He also claims drugs got Alfar fired from a job as a certified nursing assistant at Torrington Health and Rehabilitation. An employee who answered the phone at the residential facility said he couldn't disclose why Alfar is no longer employed there.
The Register Citizen obtained police reports from 2008 that show Alfar's struggle with narcotics is a persistent theme in her life. Both times police did not bring charges against Alfar, citing a lack of evidence.
On Aug. 31, Alfar called 911 saying she was robbed of $350. Police said Alfar admitted she lent the money to a boyfriend so he could buy drugs. Alfar's aunt, Cathy Mathiason, told dispatchers she was concerned for her niece's daughter, 16 months old at the time. Alfar's mother, Anita Gilbert, said she didn't trust Alfar to care for her daughter.
Alfar apologized to police for dialing 911, saying medication for anxiety and bipolar disorder caused her "strange behavior." Alfar had prescriptions for Trazodone, Risperidone, Naproxen and Lamictal, but couldn't find the prescription she took, police said.
An officer found Alfar's daughter asleep in a crib.
"There was no other indication to lead me to believe she was not receiving adequate care," Officer Santiago wrote in a report.
Fewer than two months later, on Oct. 13, Torrington police intervened in a visitation dispute at Alfar's Hillside Avenue home.
Gilbert told officers she discovered crystal meth in Alfar's bedroom. Alfar claimed the drugs were salt.
Alfar's daughter was in the room and within earshot of the conversation. Officers didn't find drugs in her bedroom and never interviewed Alfar, despite a statement from Latina's girlfriend that Alfar appeared "messed up."
In a phone conversation, Alfar told police she'd meet them to straighten out visitation after Gilbert accused Latina's girlfriend of kidnapping the infant. But Alfar never showed up, and authorities' calls were unreturned.
A social worker from DCF investigated the case. It's unknown whether anything came of it, since those investigations are confidential.
Reoccurring problems?
Alfar has been on DCF's radar since.
On Sept. 24, 2012, it substantiated an allegation of emotional neglect following an investigation into treatment of her now 7-year-old daughter.
The substantiation meant investigators believed there was "reasonable cause" Alfar was responsible for child abuse or neglect. She could have landed on DCF's Child Abuse and Neglect Registry.
Unlike a sex offender registry, the abuse registry is private, available only to DCF officials, authorities and employers who obtain applicants' consent.
Ken Mysogland, director of the office of the ombudsman for DCF, said in an interview Alfar would have been notified if she were placed on the registry.
"There's not a yes or no answer to that," he said. "It all depends. When you are placed on the registry, we believe you pose a risk to the health, safety or well-being of children."
Mysogland said "intensity, severity, chronicity" factor into whether an offender is placed on the registry.
"Sometimes one incident is so severe that you could say the person should go on the registry," he said. "Our work is not an exact science."
In the coming weeks, Alfar's attorneys will do their best to paint their client as a compassionate mother who made "mistakes," but who isn't so far gone that she puts her infant daughter Shiloh "materially at risk."
Audet said DCF is required to include exculpatory evidence — meaning favorable to a defendant — in temporary custody orders. But that doesn't always happen, she said.
"I think Amirah has been made out to be a bad person in this case," she said. "When I've spoken to her, she seems concerned about her child and wants to do the right thing."
It's a battle Alfar waged while involved in a custody battle with the father of her 7-year-old daughter.
Over the years, she had custody revoked and restored. At one point, her mother, Anita, was granted temporary guardianship after Judge Michael Magistrali was convinced "evidence has been presented to this court that the parent of the person of such minor is unable to care for the minor for the following reason: illness."
The court waived a DCF investigation, and Gilbert's custodial duties commenced Aug. 2, 2007.
Latina now has full custody of the couple's 7-year-old daughter. Last year, the parents agreed to split custody until the issue of the recent Amber Alert for baby Shiloh convinced a judge that Alfar is unfit to see her 7-year-old daughter unless in a "therapeutic" setting.
Alfar has written openly of struggles to stay sober. She attended residential treatment programs, counseling and parenting classes at McCall Foundation to get back in good standing with the court.
In a letter to officials at probate court dated April 27, 2011, Alfar said she wanted to play a more active role in the life of her 7-year-old daughter. The girl was acting out in school.
"Despite my past difficulties, I have managed to transform into an amazing and sober human being and I know that if offered the opportunity I will be the best influence and authority figure for my daughter," she wrote.
Once again, drugs that "interfered with her ability to act as guardian" for her 7-year-old daughter threaten Alfar's ability to be a mother to baby Shiloh.
"She has struggled with some personal issues in the past," Audet said. "Lots of people struggle with personal issues, and lots of people get past them and become productive members of society."
Reach Isaac Avilucea at 860-489-3121 ext. 324.


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The price of oil jumped above $94 a barrel Wednesday after an unexpected drop in U.S. crude supplies.
Benchmark oil was up 96 cents to close at $94.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Oil supplies fell by 1 million barrels, or 0.3 percent, to 360.3 million barrels last week. Analysts expected an increase of 2.5 million barrels. The drop was due mainly to a decline in imports. Gasoline supplies grew less than expected as refineries slowed output.
Still, supplies of oil and gasoline remain above average for this time of year, with crude inventories nearly 9 percent higher than a year ago and gasoline levels more than 3 percent higher. Domestic production of crude, at more than 7 million barrels a day, is the highest in 20 years.
Prices at the pump continue to slip lower. The national average for a gallon of gas is now $3.29, down about a penny from a week ago and 9 cents less than at this time last year.
Going forward, traders will be watching for the latest reading on China's economic growth Friday and developments in contentious negotiations in Washington over the nation's borrowing limit.
Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, was up 5 cents to $119.68 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
In other energy futures trading on Nymex:
— Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to $2.72 a gallon.
— Natural gas lost 2 cents to $3.44 per 1,000 cubic feet.
— Heating oil fell 1 cent to $3.00 a gallon.
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American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|PhysicsCentral|Physics Magazine
- American Physical Society Sites
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- Meetings & Events
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- Membership
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- Careers In Physics
- Newsroom
- About APS
- Become a Member
Hamid Javadi
In January of 2007, the newly established network group of Iranian-American Physicists (IrAP) invited APS members of Iranian heritage to gather under a non-religious, non-political umbrella with well-organized bylaws to govern its activities. Over the years, the IrAP network group has strived to be a unifying voice among its members and has maintained contacts with similar professional organizations in the US (such as the Iranian Chemists Association of the American Chemical Society, and Association of Professors and Scholars of Iranian Heritage). Even-though Iranian-Americans are not a legally-recognized minority, IrAP network group represents the professional needs and aspirations of a small group (almost 500 registered members) of APS. We encourage our members to join the APS Forum on International Physics. We try to maintain regular contacts with the APS/FIP Executive Committee. In recent years, we have participated in each of the APS/FIP receptions that have taken place during the APS March meetings.
In 2012, we established a Graduate Student Research Award in honor of the renowned Iranian scientist "Biruni" who lived in 11th century and was well versed in Physics as well as other fields (for more information about Biruni please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biruni or the BBC documentary: Science and Islam 2/3). We are now in the process of reviewing candidates for the Biruni 2013 graduate student research award. This award has encouraged us to commit more of our energy and resources to academic excellence of US physics students of Iranian decent. This in turn prompted us to make some transitional changes to our bylaws (for review please visit: www.irapnetwork.org). We are no longer being governed by a Board of Directors but instead by a Council of volunteers with equal governing power. We hope that in the future, this change will remove all barriers for participation of interested and qualified individuals in IrAP network group. We hope to do more by concentrating on the academic excellence of the next generation of US scientists who can build a better future for all with promises of peace, justice, and tolerance among the two nations.
If you are interested to support Biruni graduate student research award, please contact IrAP award coordinator: Farbod Shafiei, Ph.D, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin
2511 Speedway RLM 5.208, Austin TX 78712. Email: email@example.com
We welcome your questions and comments. For general comments and to become a member of IrAP network group, please contact: Hamid Javadi, Ph. D. IrAP network group council member. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Our aspiration is to transform our network group to an Association of Iranian-American Physicists with stronger ties to APS and APS/FIP.
Hamid Javadi is President of the Iranian-American Physicists (IrAP) Network


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Hello everyone. I guess you all know this game. Task is simple - sink all enemy ships. I'd like to present one of it's variants.
* 10x10 grid
* you have 5 ships: 1x6 grid ship, 1x5 grid ship, 1x4 grid ship, 1x3 grid ship and 1x2 grid ship
* you can not place ships next to another
Game is simple but we can focus on something different than making perfect bot. I think, that best thing that can be done here is to let bots learn, analyze played game to upgrade themselves. We'd have to make a bot able to learn, not perfect since the beginning. What do you think?


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Knowledge Mountain Media, Inc.
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The Kolbrin Bible 21st Century Master Edition
The Kolbrin Bible is a 2-part, 11-book secular anthology. The first six books are called the "Egyptian texts" and were penned after Exodus. The last five books are called the "Celtic texts" and were penned following the death of Jesus.
Millennia ago, they recorded prophetic warnings for the future. LEARN MORE
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This is the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) report on telephone subscribership in the United States, presenting subscribership statistics based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Census Bureau in November 2001. Statistics from that survey estimated that 94.9% of all households in the United States had telephone service. Although telephone subscribership is down 0.2% from the last report, for July 2001, the change from July is not statistically significant. The report also shows subscribership levels by state, income level, race, age, household size, and employment status.
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10 Barbecue Trucks We Love In Austin, TX
A barbecue trailer power vacuum has existed in Austin ever since Franklin Barbecue transformed from food truck to brick-and-mortar operation two years ago. In a city packed with food trucks of all varieties, who could take its place?
The most logical prediction is Aaron Franklin's former employer John Mueller, grandson of Texas barbecue legend Louie Mueller. After closing his trailer in East Austin, Mueller went into business with his sister, LeeAnn, at the JMueller BBQ trailer in South Austin. Later she ousted him from his namesake trailer following a well-documented family squabble over the management of the business.
Last March, John Mueller took his meat smoking prowess back across the Colorado River to East Austin with the simply-named John Mueller Meat Co. Declaring "You may go to hell, I'll go to 6th and Pedernales" (a reference to the famous Davy Crockett quote about Texas), he opened the new trailer in the backyard of a dive bar on that very corner. A festive atmosphere permeated while I waited in line to try Mueller's famously peppery smoked meats. The sun was relentless on the hungry crowd, but Mueller himself slipped an ice-cold Lone Star into my hand to make the wait go down a little smoother.
Now Mueller's sister LeeAnn is operating the old trailer under the name La Barbecue. She recruited a new pitmaster, John Lewis, the former protégée of Aaron Franklin (as you can see, Austin's barbecue scene is a little inbred). Although John Mueller Meat Co. and La Barbecue have been open less than a year in their current forms, they both made the recently releasedTexas Monthly 50 Best BBQ Joints ranking, an important benchmark in the barbecue world.
These two trailers are making some of the best barbecue in town, but others — like the sausage-centric Mickelthwait Craft Meats—have sneaked into the competition, too. Besides the classic Texas barbecue meat plates and sausages, even more choices are popping up, including (but not limited to) smoked carnitas, brisket tacos, and Cuban-inspired pulled pork sandwiches. Many of these barbecue trucks offer a party-style atmosphere, with live music and free beer on weekends.
The stomachs of Austin are clearly benefiting from all this barbecue drama. Here's a look at 10 barbecue trucks we love across the city.
View 10 BBQ Trucks in Austin in a larger map
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Below you can find a flyer for inviting students and postdocs.and scientists to join BioForum.
To show your support of BioForum, please download the attached BioForum Flyer, print as many copies as you like, and post it in places around you.
Some other ways of supporting BioForum:
- Tell your friends about BioForum and ask them to join to ask questions and help others.
- "Like" BioForum on Facebook and G+1.
Bioforum admin


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Bristol Anarchist Bookfair
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Horsemeat and bullshit for the masses
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Saturday May 12th 2018 Taking place at the Black Swan and BASE
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Miami, Florida, USA – July 28th, 2017 – Spark and Spark is a place to be when talking about getting personalized gifts for children and loved ones. These gifts range from school supplies, stationery, labels and stickers, wall arts, thanksgiving cards, note cards, luggage tags, mouse tags etc. Spark and Spark does not leave any child out, whether it be girl or boy.
Spark and Spark started when two lovely and caring mother and friends decided to share ideas and creativity to create a modern and cute goodies their kids could enjoy. It began as a small line of handmade greeting card and birth announcements, which evolved into a diverse array of paper goods, educational gifts, sold in variety of retail stores and online stores all over US and other parts of the world.
About the Founders (Belina Lizarzabal and Jessica Welle):
Belina graduated from the University of Miami studying Advertising and Design. She moved to New York City where she started her business and found Chispa Design in 2006. Belina Lizarzabel has been a designer and has practiced since childhood. She has so much love for colors, form and function, creating all kinds of craft projects. At 6th grade, she was saddled with the responsibility of designing almost all her school's special event programs and invitations.
She met with her friend, Jessica in 2011, and they both seemed to have many things in common. They decided to take Chispa Design to another level, which is what has today, birth Spark and Spark.
Jessica Welle on the other hand is a business oriented mother and wife. She had also fallen in love with handcrafts and designs. She was born and raised in Venezuela, where she studied Accounting at Universidad Del Zulia.
"We believe in embracing life's moments through little details that make life more rich and personal", they both chorused. At Spark and Spark, interest is built in developing one of a kind personalized gift that the whole family can enjoy. Their joy lies in seeing smile on the faces of their clients and friends when they receive personalized gifts with their names written on them.
For more information about these superb designs, visit their website: https://www.sparkandspark.com
E-mail: email@example.com
Media Contact
Company Name: Spark & Spark
Contact Person: Jessica C. Welle
Email: email@example.com
Phone: +1-800-720-0197
Address:2045 NW 1st Avenue
City: Miami
State: FL 33127
Country: United States
Website: https://www.sparkandspark.com


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Sonoco Display and Packaging Receives Top Awards for Marketing to Seniors at Retail
Oct 31, 2012, 11:01 ET
HARTSVILLE, S.C., Oct. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging and services companies, today announced that its retail point-of-purchase display and packaging business won two of the top awards at the inaugural Retail Innovation Fair presented by the Wake Forest University Center for Retail Innovation.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120403/CL80773LOGO )
Sonoco received the Best Consumer Engagement Award and the People's Choice Award at the CVS Caremark-sponsored event, which was themed, Marketing to an Aging Population. The event showcased the latest retail marketing ideas for engaging today's senior shoppers and attracted exhibitors, sponsors and attendees representing many of the best-known names in retail.
"There's a silver tsunami coming as the Baby Boomer population become seniors," said Professor Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation. "As the size of this demographic grows, so do the retail marketing opportunities."
Sonoco presented its award-winning exhibit in a "total store solution" format, integrating a mix of in-store promotional packaging and merchandising displays to highlight industry best practices for marketing to seniors. The CVS Caremark Best Consumer Engagement Award was chosen by a panel of CVS executives, while the People's Choice Award was voted on by event attendees.
"Our retail display and packaging team does an outstanding job helping our customers maximize their in-store branding and sales opportunities," said Jeff Tomaszewski, division vice president and general manager, Sonoco Display and Packaging. "To receive further validation for our expertise in marketing to seniors in particular is extremely gratifying."
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5 billion, the Company has more than 19,000 employees working in 340 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2011/2012 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com
SOURCE: Sonoco
For further information:
Roger Schrum, +843-339-6018, [email protected]
PRN Photo Desk, [email protected]


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HotkeyNet is free multiboxing software. It's a hotkey program for gamers who play several characters at the same time. It lets you control several programs on your network from any keyboard no matter which PCs the programs are running on.
HotkeyNet is currently in early beta.. The test is public. Anyone can download the program for free and try it.
To download, click here.
For instructions, click here.
For reference pages, click here.
To talk to other beta testers in the forum, click here.
Requires Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7.
Does HotkeyNet work with multiple copies of a game on a single PC?
Yes. HotkeyNet doesn't care which PCs the games are on or how many copies are running, so it works just as well on a single PC as it does with large numbers of PCs.
Who is HotkeyNet For?
HotkeyNet was written especially for multiloggers and dual-boxers — for people who play several instances of a computer game at the same time. But it works with all kinds of programs, not just games. So anybody can use it to control multiple computers on a network. It's good for more than just multilogging and dual-boxing.