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How did a game destined for failure become a cult smash? In an article originally written for Game Developer magazine, Edmund McMillen (Super Meat Boy) discusses how he added religion to The Legend of Zelda, mixed it with a roguelike, and came out with a surprise hit.
On paper, there is simply no reason for a game like The Binding of Isaac to have become as huge as it has. It makes no sense — and this is coming from the person who believed in it the most. I knew Isaac was special, but if you asked me to bet on whether Isaac would sell over one million copies in less than a year, I would have bet against it.
You see, The Binding of Isaac was made to clash against mainstream games — it was designed to be a niche hit at best. I had hoped it would gain some minor cult status in small circles, kind of like a midnight movie from the 1970s. From any mainstream marketing perspective, I designed Isaac to fail — and that was my goal from the start.
When I started working on The Binding of Isaac, I was still haunted by the end of Super Meat Boy's development, and the hoops we had to jump through to get there. I wouldn't say Super Meat Boy was "selling out," but it was the closest I was going to come to it when it came to playing by the rules to make sure that we could sell the game that consumed two years of our lives (and all of our money).
After SMB, I no longer had those worries — I could afford to take a bigger risk and fail, if I felt like failing. I wanted to make something risky and exciting now that the financial aspects of that risk were gone. And I wanted to really push my limits to get back to where I had come from — a place where there were no boundaries, where I could create anything without worrying about making a profit.
The Binding of Isaac started in a weeklong game jam. Tommy Refenes (Super Meat Boy co-developer) was taking a vacation, so I decided to do the game jam with Florian Himsl, who programmed a few of my previous Flash games (Triachnid, Coil, and Cunt). Florian is the kind of guy who is up for anything; he wasn't worried about his reputation, and was basically down with whatever I wanted to do in terms of content. This was good, because I had two clear goals when I started designing Isaac: I wanted to make a roguelike game using the Legend of Zelda dungeon structure, and I wanted to make a game about my relationship with religion.
Both goals were challenging but very fun to design, and after seven days we had something that was turning into a game. It seemed too good to pass up, so we continued working on it in Flash (using ActionScript 2). At this point in the process, I wasn't thinking about how we were going to sell this game (or if we were going to be able to sell the game at all!); it was just a challenge we both wanted to finish.
We finished The Binding of Isaac after about three months of part-time development. We released it on Steam, and it was selling okay; for the first few weeks, the game was averaging about 100-200 copies a day, eventually stabilizing at about 150 a day after a few months. By this point, the game had already exceeded my expectations, but five months after release something very odd happened. Our daily average started to climb. 200 copies per day turned into 500 copies, then 1,000 copies, and by the seven-month mark Isaac was averaging sales of more than 1,500 copies a day and climbing. I couldn't explain it — we hadn't put the game on sale or anything, so I was clueless as to why sales were continuing to grow.
Then I checked out YouTube, and I noticed that fans of the game were uploading Let's Play videos constantly — over 100 videos every day, each getting tons of traffic. Isaac had found its fanbase, and that base was growing larger and larger. Not bad for a game that was meant to fail!
1. Roguelike Design
The roguelike formula is an amazing design plan that isn't used much, mostly because its traditional designs rely on alienatingly complicated user interfaces. Once you crack the roguelike formula, however, it becomes an increasingly beautiful, deep, and everlasting design that allows you to generate a seemingly dynamic experience for players, so that each time they play your game they're getting a totally new adventure.
I wanted to combine the roguelike formula with some kind of real-time experience, like Spelunky, but I also wanted to experiment more with the traditional role-playing game aspect of roguelike games Crawl and Diablo. Fortunately, using the basic Legend of Zelda dungeon structure as the game's skeleton made it easy to rework almost all the elements of a traditional roguelike formula (procedurally generated dungeons, permadeath, and so on) into a real-time dungeon crawler format. Almost every aspect of the game seemed to fall perfectly into place with little effort.
Let's start by looking at the Legend of Zelda dungeon and resource structure — it's simple, and really solid. Keys, bombs, coins, and hearts are dropped in various rooms in the dungeon, and the player needs to collect and use these resources to progress through each level. In Isaac, these elements were randomly distributed and not required to progress, but I included them to add structure to the experience.
I also pulled a lot from Zelda's "leveling structure," where each dungeon would yield an item as well as a container heart to level up the character and give the player a sense of growth; in Isaac, each level contains at least one item, and the player can get one stat-raising item by beating the boss. These items are random, but still designed in a way that made it so your character would have some kind of physical growth as you progress through the game.
I approached the roguelike design from many different directions with Isaac, but at its core, what made Isaac different than most roguelike games (well, aside from its visuals) was how I dealt with the difficulty curve. Instead of using traditional difficulty settings, I simply made the game adjust to players as they played, adding increasingly difficult content to the game as they progressed. This made Isaac feel longer, richer, and gave it the appearance of a story that writes itself. Using this design also allowed me to reward the player for playing and playing well, with more items that would help aid in their adventures and keep the gameplay fresh and exciting.
Once the player finally overcomes Mom, they usually assume the game is over, but instead get a new final chapter, six new bosses, a new final boss, and new items that shuffle into the mix. When the player beats the final chapter, they unlock new playable characters and items, and when they beat the chapter with each new character, they'll unlock even more content that makes the game even deeper still.
With Isaac, my goal was to create "magic." I wanted players to feel like the game was endless and alive, that the game had a mind of its own and was writing itself as they played. I remember the original Zelda having this feeling of magic and mystery. You weren't sure what things did until you experimented with them, and you had to brainstorm with your friends and put all your findings together in order to progress. I felt like since I was referencing Zelda so much in Isaac's core design, I should also complement it with the feeling of mystery I felt it had back in the day.


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WASHINGTON (AP) - The most the Cincinnati Reds could take away from this loss to the Washington Nationals is that they got more than one hit. Center fielder Denard Span made pair of impressive catches to halt Reds rallies, Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer and scored twice, and Dan Haren had his best start of the young season as the Nationals beat the Reds 6-3 Saturday.
WASHINGTON (AP) � The most the Cincinnati Reds could take away from this loss to the Washington Nationals is that they got more than one hit.
Center fielder Denard Span made pair of impressive catches to halt Reds rallies, Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer and scored twice, and Dan Haren had his best start of the young season as the Nationals beat the Reds 6-3 Saturday.
The Reds manager nine hits after being one-hit in dropping each of the first two games of the series.
�We�re getting there,� Reds manager Dusty Baker said. �We�re close, we�re big time close.�
Trailing 6-2 in the seventh, the Reds got a two-out RBI single from pinch-hitter Todd Frazier off Tyler Clippard to make it 6-3. Shin-Soo Choo then walked to load the bases and Jack Cozart hit a laser to left-center, but Span�s running catch ended the threat.
In the sixth, after Choo homered to lead off and Cozart singled, Span thwarted the rally when he raced to the wall in left-center and made a jumping catch to take at least an extra-base hit away from Joey Votto.
�I got a great jump on both of those balls,� Span said. �On Votto, I was already playing deep, respecting his power. I�m not sure if the ball would have went over, but I was prepared to bring it back if it did go out.�
Added Baker: �(We were) two hits away, had it not been for Span, from tying that game up or even going ahead. Those were two heck of a plays. Very rarely do you see two Web Gems in one game.�
Brandon Phillips had three hits and ended the Reds 17-inning scoring drought in the fourth when he singled home Votto, who had doubled.
�I feel like we�re still a good team and we�re in a little funk right now,� Phillips said. � Every team goes through it. A loss is a loss regardless of how many hits we got. It doesn�t matter how many hits or how many runs we score, it�s all about who scores the most runs. We didn�t do that (Saturday).�
Haren (2-3) didn�t quite match Jordan Zimmermann�s one-hitter and Gio Gonzalez�s impressive eight innings of one-hit ball the previous two games, but he was sharp enough. Haren, who was roughed up by Cincinnati for six runs and nine hits in four innings of a 15-0 loss on April 5, lowered his ERA from 7.36 to 6.29 in his longest outing of the year. Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save.
Reds starter Mike Leake (1-1) gave up four runs, three earned, in three innings. He gave up six hits and walked three.
�They had a good game plan and I wasn�t attacking them completely,� Leake said.
The Nationals scored twice in the second. Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon drew one-out walks. Kurt Suzuki popped out, but Haren blooped a single into short right field scoring Desmond. Rendon went to third and scored when Span singled.
Harper and Werth opened the third with singles and, after Adam LaRoche flied out, Desmond singled, scoring Harper. Leake fanned Rendon, but Suzuki hit a grounder toward the hole between third and shortstop. Third baseman Jack Hannahan made a diving stop, but threw wide to second and Werth scored as the ball rolled into right field.
Harper put the Nationals ahead 6-1 in the fourth, homering into the Washington bullpen on a 1-2 pitch off Alfredo Simon with Danny Espinosa on first. It was Harper�s ninth of the season. NOTES: Reds LF Chris Heisey left the game in the third inning with a strained right hamstring. . Nationals C Wilson Ramos, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, caught three innings and went 0 for 1 with a walk Friday night in the first game of a rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg. Washington manager Davey Johnson said Ramos will travel with the team to Atlanta Sunday. He�s eligible to come off the DL Monday. .. Cincinnati LHP Chris Cingrani (1-0, 2.25) opposes LHP Ross Detwiler (1-1, 1.38) in Sunday�s finale.

subset: commoncrawl


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New Nutrition Labels
FDA Gets Real With Serving Sizes — Do You Like the New Label?
If you've ever read a nutritional label after downing an entire bag/pint/package of food and thought, "How are there three servings in this?" the Food and Drug Administration hears you — today it announced a proposed revamp to its nutrition labeling, the first major change in the label's 20-year history.
New Proposed Label
One proposed change will be to increase servings sizes to more realistic portions. "What and how much people eat and drink has changed since the serving sizes were first put in place in 1994," the FDA said in a statement. The new labeling would be more in line with the amount people normally eat now — a serving size of ice cream for example, would increase from a half cup to one cup, and 20-ounce soda bottle would be one serving instead of 2.5.
Current Label
Other proposed changes are aimed at further clarifying what's in your food, such as:
- Requiring information about added sugars, so consumers can see how much naturally occurring sugars and unhealthy added sugars are in a food.
- Adding another column to the label to show the nutrition information for the entire package, in addition to info per serving size.
- Making certain elements like calories, serving sizes, and daily values more prominent on the label.
- Add info about certain nutrients like potassium and vitamin D. Many people don't get enough of these nutrients, which puts them at risk for conditions like osteoporosis and high blood pressure.
- Removing "Calories from Fat," since the type of fat in a food matters more than the amount.
The FDA is still a long way away from approving any new labeling — it still needs to go through a 90-day public approval process followed by passing new regulation and enforcement, so the design and what will be included on the new label aren't final. But when the time comes, will you welcome the change, or are you happy with the current label?


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Japanese luxury-brand U.S. dealerships rank best in fielding customer Internet inquiries, according to the latest results of an annual study by consulting firm Pied Piper Management.
Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti tie for first place with 62% online-lead effectiveness, followed by Honda's Acura with 59%.
In contrast, two other Japanese nameplates score the worst, Toyota's Scion with 39% effectiveness and Suzuki, dead last with 23%.
Ford and Chrysler brands showed the most improvement from last year. In a 3-way tie for fourth place are Ford, Lincoln and Honda, each with 58% Internet effectiveness.
Pied Piper bases its rankings on a scoring index using "mystery shopping" measurements and sales success.
Overall industry performance improved this year compared with 2011 but "remains lousy," Pied Piper CEO Fran O'Hagan tells WardsAuto. "There still is a 22% chance of a dealer not replying to an Internet inquiry within 24 hours. Having said that, the figure last year was 36%."
Most dealerships would not tolerate similar handling of customers at the store, he says. "If dealerships treated one in four in-person customers like Internet customers are treated, there would be employee firings."
But O'Hagan attributes the no-response and slow-response rates more to dealership staffing issues, "not to employees acting maliciously."
Industrywide performance is better this year, "not because more dealers are performing at an 'A' or 'B' level; that virtually is unchanged from 2011," he says. "The performance improvement is because more 'F' dealers from last year have turned into 'C' dealers."
He attributes improvements, in part, to auto makers urging their dealers to handle Internet leads better, as well as providing support towards that goal.
High-scoring dealerships strictly adhere to best-practice processes, O'Hagan says. That includes using auto-responders to immediately reply to a customer's Internet inquiry, followed by a personal email and then a phone call.
Someone who follows that 1-2-3 process "will do better than 77% of the dealers out there," O'Hagan says. "The first step is actually bothering to reply.
"With Suzuki, 50% of the time there was no response. With Scion, it is one-third of the time, but when Scion dealerships do respond, they do pretty well."
Auto-responders can vary from basic to elaborate. Simple versions in effect say, "We'll be back soon." Beyond that, others tout the dealership "like an ad," he says.
More elaborate is auto-responder software that instantly provides vehicle photos, descriptions and prices of vehicles in which a customer expresses an interest. Information on comparable products, including used cars, also is provided automatically.
"That type of auto-responder is out there, but not used much," O'Hagan says.
Initially replying to an online customer within 30 minutes is today's "magical cut-off time," he says. "Beyond that, we see a drop in the success of turning a lead into a sale."
Of dealerships surveyed in the Pied Piper study, the average time to reply has improved from 130 minutes last year to 118 minutes this year.
If today's world seems faster-paced, that's because it is. O'Hagan says that in 2008, replying within four hours was considered acceptable.


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MILTON — Kylie Williamson may be the busiest 5th grader in Milton Elementary. Kylie is an athlete. She plays basketball,volleyball, baseball, gymnastics,. She dances, she is part of the school jump rope club and she swims for fun! In order to participate in the jump rope club, Kylie goes to school an hour and a half early. This June she will participate in an inter school jump rope competition for the second year .Last years competition yielded many metals, a feat that she hopes to reproduce this year. Kylie also scored the first basket at a recent basketball game. Many of her other athletic endeavors take place through the Milton Recreation Department. Kylie is a one person advertising agency for the Rec. Department, enthusiastically explaining the fun to be had during summer camp at Camp 3 Ponds. (Can grown ups go to camp?)
Ms. Williamson also speaks positively of her large group of friends: Eliza, who was her teammate in sandcastle building, Olivia, Emily and Emily H. Isabelle, Eva, Savanna — all of whom play sports with her, Raven from her dance class, Colby and Cade who she met when playing T-ball long, long ago and Emma , Nicolette, and Hannah round out the group. Kylie also considers many adults among her friends: Teachers Mrs. Marquis, Ms. Duchano, Mrs. Marsh, Mrs. Talbot, Mrs. Trafton (who , by the way, nominated Kylie as a star student as her 5th grade teacher), Mrs. Begonia (like the flower, because she is such a flower), Mrs. Alquest and Ms. Eaves, Ms. Young (MES vice Principal), Ms. Anderson, Mrs. Doane and Ms. Ordway , Principal Mr. Mills (who apparently has won the hearts of the students with his sense of humor), Mrs. Everette and Mrs. Wentworth. Obviously, Kylie loves to spend time with people . She spends many hours with her many friends sledding, getting into snow ball fights, swimming, making sandcastles, jumping in leaf piles, listening to music, playing with dolls, making play dough and goo, playing board games and WII, experimenting with makeup , swimming, and running through the sprinklers.
In addition to being named a star student Kylie also was given the honor of reading the morning announcements over the intercom at school. She is also a great student. She loves math, science, social studies, and literacy intervention (where she is able to read books) . Kylie is currently reading "Chicken Soup of the Teenage Soul" by Jack Canfield, which she likes because of the true stories of kids-many of whom have serious health issues- who make their lives richer by helping others.
Kylie also has a rich homelife. She lives with her mom and dad and two West Highland Terriers : Izzie and Sparky . Her family keeps her busy too. She likes to be outdoors with her father whether biking ,fishing or going to the beach . She loves shopping with her mother. Kylie also has a large extended family : an aunt in West Virginia who has taught her the beauty of gardening (her favorite flower is the iris). Ms. Williamson has cousins in Pennsylvania and a grandmother in Florida where she enjoyed a sunset swim in the ocean. Kylie does like her downtime too and will take a nap with her dog Izzie on her shoulder, or playing a game on her iPod touch or watching a little television. She also sews and is currently working on a project for a family friend who is expecting a baby.
When asked how Kylie would like to be described by her friends she noted that she hopes she is considered "..nice, happy all the time, fun, pretty , athletic, creative and — best of all — outlandish!" and she is!
What is a Star Student?
The staff of Milton Elementary (MES) wants to catch students doing something right. A student is given a "star card" as an acknowledgement of a good deed. A "Star Card" is given in one or more of the following four categories: 1. Respect, 2. Responsibility, 3. Caring and 4. Safety. Not only can a student be given a star card in the classroom, but also in the halls, playgrounds, school library, on a school bus, cafeteria, offices –anywhere on school grounds.
The student can redeem star cards for special drawings in their classes or school-wide. Some of the prizes in the classroom would be a "homework pass" (Excused from one homework assignment), extra computer time, lunch time with the teacher, or a material gift: like a special pencil or pen. A school-wide prize might be lunch with the principal, "principal for a day" job, lunch at the "Star Table" (a special honored space in the cafeteria, the ability to "cut" to the front of the lunch-line, and a yummy star cookie). Star card winners are also acknowledged daily during morning announcements. If a student collects 100 star cards during the course of the school year, their name is painted on the "Galaxy of Stars" in the front hallway of the school.
The Milton Free Library will have one star card student a month highlighted. This student will offer a theme for the library's entryway display and let the community know a little about themselves so that the community can learn a little more about the great kids at Milton Elementary.


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I'm constantly reading 3-4 forums during the day, recently this being involved. I do use the quick links however I would like to just have a quick f5 on the site and immediately see if there's any new content (since I read back everything in every topic and also every thread does interest me) without having to manually navigate on the page for several more seconds/clicks.larynx wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:26 amJust go to quick links, and select "unread posts". It shows all unread posts. The "active topics" in quick links is my favorite to use because it shows all topics currently active in the forum. From there all the bubbles not filled in are waiting for you to view them, and the ones filled are ones you are up to date on.
This might not be a huge thing but I have a guess this would take 2 mins on the settings page of the forum and would be a QoL for people like me


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Two Cheers for the U.S. Economy
Two articles in today's Wall Street Journal deal with the housing sector. They complement each other. Journal reporters note that "Industry Speeds Recovery, And Housing Slows It Down." The story notes that that "ground‐breaking for new homes and applications for building permits both plunged last month." Meanwhile, U.S. industrial output showed strong growth in May.
Bravo for both numbers, which are inter‐related. The headline (over which reporters have no control) reflects conceptual confusion. U.S. industrial production is strong at least in part because construction of new homes is weak. The bloated home sector is no longer absorbing a disproportionate share of economic resources. The new homeowners tax credit has mercifully expired, ending that bit of misguided stimulus.
David Wessel's article, "Rethinking Home Ownership," further clarifies the reallocation of resources taking place in the U.S. economy. Beginning in the 1990s, the federal government adopted a number of policies to stimulate home ownership. As Wessel makes clear, it was a bipartisan effort. Home ownership rates rose from around 65% to a peak of 69.4% in 2004. It was an unsustainable policy, a true asset bubble.
Home ownership rates have now fallen back to where they began, or even below. The experience of the 1990s and early 2000s in housing demonstrates why government stimulus is not a permanent source of demand, nor the path to sustainable economic growth. Lest we forget, the folly of these programs is measured not just in housing numbers, but in shattered dreams and hopes and ruined lives. And the terrible financial crisis to which these programs contributed


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Gilad Shalit, the former IDF tank crewman who spent more than five years in captivity in Gaza, will visit Canada as a guest of the Jewish National Fund in September. According to JNF CEO Josh Cooper, Shalit's appearance should fill all four venues in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.
"The response to it has been overwhelmingly positive," Cooper said.
But a negative note was sounded in the Jewish Tribune, the B'nai Brith paper, which stated his invitation was getting "mixed reaction" and which wondered if he was the right person to become "a new Israeli icon."
BBI disavows Jewish newspaper critical of Shalit
Shalit was captured by Hamas gunmen in June 2006 while on duty near the Gaza border. Two of his fellow crewman were killed in the attack. The sequence of events was recounted in a detailed article in the Jerusalem Post by Israeli military veteran Ben Caspit, who questioned whether Shalit could have done more to avoid capture.
As negotiations for his release ground on, Israeli society debated intensely the wisdom of trading security prisoners with blood on their hands for Shalit. The families of terrorism victims made a poignant case that the lives of their loved ones would be cheapened by the release of the killers.
The issue was raised against negotiating with terrorists, that those who were released would continue to target Israelis and that giving in would merely incentivize further kidnappings.
In the end, Israeli society lined up solidly behind those who favoured a prisoner exchange. Parents and soldiers were grateful that the government would not abandon them, even if the cost of their release was substantial. It also conformed to the Jewish concept of pidyon shvuyim, ransoming hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the swap. At the time, he penned a letter to the families of terrorist victims: "Dear families, I write to you with a heavy heart. I understand and know your pain…The state of Israel does not abandon its soldiers and citizens."
So, is there any validity to the criticism that Shalit is no hero?
For many, it is an uncomfortable question. Can anyone who has not served in the military know or understand all the circumstances that led to a soldier's capture? And can you criticize someone who did not try to avoid a dangerous assignment and was just doing his duty on Israel's front line?
Writing in the Jerusalem Post, lone soldier Ilan Mann, a Canadian, stated, "Almost a third of Israelis of drafting age avoid military service altogether, and the majority who do serve do not do so in combat units, for one reason or another, Shalit went above and beyond to protect his country. What could be more heroic?"
"Shalit has, after a ferociously arduous service, returned to the arms of the Jewish people, unbent and unbroken; let's give him the hero's welcome he deserves," Mann wrote.
As far as Cooper is concerned, reaction to Shalit's speaking tour was far from "mixed." In fact, some communities left out of the speaking tour are hoping to get included, he said.
Cooper sat down for lunch with Shalit in Israeli recently and found him "a gentle soul. He's a really nice young man who's looking ahead in life."
During their lunch, strangers came up to Shalit asking to take a picture with him.
Shalit's trip to Canada is his way of thanking all the people who supported him during his captivity, Cooper said.
Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said Shalit has become a symbol.
"I think we have to recognize Gilad Shalit on two levels," he said. "The first is Gilad Shalit the individual who suffered for years as a POW under exceedingly difficult circumstances." On his release, people were shocked to see that he could barely walk, he noted.
"He suffered the experience because he was an Israeli soldier, a Jewish soldier defending the Jewish state."
"Second," Fogel continued, "he represented the very ethos that the Jewish state, Israel and the Jewish community in the Diaspora will do what it can do, however wrenching, to secure the release of those who served the state."
The exchange was painful at the time, acknowledged Fogel. But, "it's not for us to second guess it. In the end, Israelis rallied in unprecedented numbers behind pidyon shvuyim, to secure his release. In the final analysis, when the government took the step it did, there wasn't dissent."
"I think bringing Gilad Shalit to Canada is a tremendous opportunity to engage and celebrate life. We never leave anybody behind, and we didn't," Cooper stated. "I don't think there was a Jewish person on the planet who didn't pray for his safe return, and now we have it."
The CJN print edition returns August 1.


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The ABC report was actually very light on evidence, but heavy on incendiary allegations from government officials—without the skeptical scrutiny that should be journalism's primary function. The report was pegged to that day's Senate testimony by James Clapper, director of national intelligence, who told lawmakers that the U.S. intelligence community believes that Iran may be "now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response to real or perceived U.S. actions that threaten the regime."
Sawyer amplified Clapper's allegation by setting up the report with the assertion that Iran is "more determined than ever to launch an attack on U.S. soil." Correspondent Martha Raddatz, claiming that the "the saber-rattling coming from Iran has been constant," told viewers that Clapper delivered "a new bracing warning…. Iran may be more ready than ever to launch terror attacks inside the United States."
In its effort to substantiate Clapper's claim, ABC could provide only the flimsiest evidence: Raddatz announced that Clapper "pointed specifically to last year's plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States and to reports that Iran has been supporting Hezbollah cells in Latin America."
From the beginning, there have been serious questions about the ambassadorial assassination plot (IPS, 10/17/11; FAIR Blog, 10/12/11). As University of Michigan professor Juan Cole (Informed Comment, 10/12/11) pointed out, the claim that the Iranian government tried to hire a Mexican drug gang to kill a diplomat "makes no sense." The Wall Street Journal (2/1/12) quoted Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace saying, "If that's the only data point, I think it's a stretch to conclude that the regime is now looking to commit acts of terror on U.S. soil." But in ABC's report, it's unquestioned fact.
The idea that Iran is supporting Hezbollah cells in Latin America has been challenged as well—as PolitiFact noted (11/22/11), the State Department determined there are actually no such groups in our hemisphere. Still, ABC milked the propaganda value of Latin America, running footage of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visiting other Official Enemies of the United States: "Ahmadinejad recently traveled there, meeting leaders like Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro who have little love for the U.S." (Note: The original ABC broadcast had Ahmadinejad meeting with farmworker organizer César Chávez).
ABC also illustrated the supposed Iranian threat with stock footage of weaponry and soldiers from an Iranian military parade—suggesting without spelling it out that viewers ought to feel threatened by a military force roughly 1/40th the size of the United States' armed forces.
ABC may have laid the propaganda on thicker than most, but few could resist running with the notion that Iran is an emerging threat to the United States. CNN host Wolf Blitzer (1/31/12) declared, "Key U.S. intelligence officials now warning Iran may be preparing to launch a terrorist attack right inside the United States." On NBC Nightly News (1/31/12), anchor Brian Williams announced: "Iran's threat. Not just the nuclear program. Tonight, U.S. intelligence warns Iran may be prepared to strike on American soil."
On ABC's Good Morning America (2/3/12), Raddatz was still hitting that point, saying that "what is really worrying" U.S. officials is "an attack on the homeland." As she explained:
I have never heard the intelligence chief say anything like that, that Iran could actually move into America, that there might be sleepers here willing to attack if Israel attacks Iran. That's why there's so much concern.
Some pundits, like Newsweek's Niall Ferguson (2/13/12), could hardly wait for war:
War is an evil. But sometimes a preventive war can be a lesser evil than a policy of appeasement. The people who don't yet know that are the ones still in denial about what a nuclear-armed Iran would end up costing us all. It feels like the eve of some creative destruction.
But even those with less obvious glee for war still managed to echo the logic of the Iraq invasion. ABC's Raddatz explained on the February 3 World News broadcast:
Well, I think it could be avoided, but you have to say it's up to Iran. Israel has to see something concrete. They have to see Iran shutting down its nuclear weapons program.
Iran must, in other words, give up the thing they claim does not exist.
SIDEBAR: Disappearing Weapons
On January 5 the New York Times reported on "a recent assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran's nuclear program has a military objective." Contrary to much of what you might pick up from the corporate media, there is no such IAEA report.
The Times promptly changed the Web version of the article—removing the relevant paragraph but without noting the error. Times public editor Arthur Brisbane (1/10/12) agreed with FAIR activists who wrote to the paper: "The Times hasn't corrected the story but it should, because this is a case of when a shorthand phrase doesn't do justice to a nuanced set of facts."
It's one thing to quietly delete an error. The PBS NewsHour did something very different—editing out an inconvenient fact.
NewsHour correspondent Margaret Warner told viewers on January 9 that
the Iranian government insists that its nuclear activities are for peaceful energy purposes only, an assertion disputed by the U.S. and its allies. On CBS yesterday, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta repeated international demands that Iran stop enriching uranium.
Viewers then saw Panetta saying this:
But we know that they're trying to develop a nuclear capability, and that's what concerns us. And our red line to Iran is, do not develop a nuclear weapon. That's a red line for us. They need to know that, if they take that step, that they're going to get stopped.
What came before the word "But"? Panetta had said this: "Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No."
So Panetta's statement—that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon—is being used to argue that the United States disputes Iran's long-standing contention that it is not building a nuclear weapon.
That was how FAIR saw it (FAIR Blog, 1/10/12), and PBS ombud Michael Getler agreed (1/12/12), up to a point. Getler called it a "good journalistic catch," then argued that
the logical understanding that NewsHour viewers—and anyone who has been following this subject—would draw from the portion of the Panetta quote that was used is that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon but that they are developing a "nuclear capability" and that the U.S. warning, as Panetta expressed it, is not to cross "our red line" and actually develop a weapon.
So viewers who are paying close attention to Iran coverage (the accurate portions, that is) would know that when Panetta was saying, "We know that they're trying to develop a nuclear capability," he meant that they were not trying to develop a nuclear weapon—even though the program had set up his statement by saying the U.S. doesn't believe that, and edited out his very straightforward explanation of what is actually known about the state of Iran's nuclear program.
It's a curious argument. One of the things that made Panetta's comment so revealing was that it represented a break from the usual chatter about Iran—even within the Obama administration. That's precisely what made it newsworthy. PBS seems to think its viewers should have to read between the lines in order to arrive at the accurate assessment about Iran's nuclear program that was left on the cutting room floor.


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Take our news coverage with you with the Spectrum News app.
The Spectrum News app features a 24/7 live stream of your local Spectrum News channel plus full access to news, sports and weather content.
Looking for news from other regions? Just tap the location at the top of the menu to access news from any of our 15 other news channels.
Follow these links to download the app from either the iOS App Store or the Google Play store.


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How To Determine Mix Cooling Time
MultiCool is a user-friendly application that calculates the rate of cooling in an HMA mat during construction. It requires that the user input such items as the time of day (entered automatically according to the computer's clock), latitude, air temperature, wind speed, mix information and lift thickness for each HMA lift, type of material being paved over, its temperature and whether or not the soil or base are frozen. The program then computes how quickly each lift of HMA will cool and when the next lift may be placed. This allows field personnel to make decisions concerning cold weather paving and the scheduling of HMA deliveries to the paving site.
MultiCool can be accessed online or via a mobile website. It can also be downloaded to run on Windows-based computers, and it is available as an Android app.
While it is no substitute for good judgement and on-the-job observations, MultiCool can help in the planning process and in field decision making.
The graph below was generated using MultiCool, and it shows that on a 40°F day, the wind speed and the thickness of the paved lift have profound effects on the amount of time available for compaction. On a windy day (20 mph), paving a thin lift (1.5 inches), only about 12 minutes is available before the mix cools to 175°F, whereas paving a 3-inch lift on a calm day will allow for more than 40 minutes to get density in the mat.
MultiCool was developed by Professor Vaughan Voller and Dr. David Timm at the University of Minnesota for the University of California. Dr. David Timm is currently at the Department of Civil Engineering and National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University. It is actually the second generation of a computer program called PaveCool developed for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. PaveCool was limited to one lift of paving as opposed to multiple lifts.
Access MultiCool for free:
For questions about MultiCool, please e-mail the engineering department.


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MWC 15 Special
Alright, it looks like Microsoft and its carrier partners are finally rolling-out the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update broadly and therefore, it's interesting to hear which of the improvements you like most? NoDo isn't about copy & paste, the improved Marketplace search and faster apps switching and resuming only, even if these are the most important features updates, but also about WiFi, Outlook and Messaging improvements as well as other fixes. And in the recent days, I read different comments from users about what they liked most. So what's the improvement you like most or you are looking forward, in case your Windows Phone 7 device hasn't received the update yet?
For a full list of Windows Phone 7 NoDo improvements and changes, please have a look here.
As always, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments bellow!
Cheers ~ Arne
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The HealthPlex Center, scheduled to open March 28, 2012, will promote exercise and healthy nutritional habits through education and exercise programs for JCSU students, faculty and staff. In the fall, the center will also welcome the community for special classes and research-based programs. Community outreach efforts will incorporate exercise and nutrition education into an after-school program for students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system.
On the energy efficiency side, the HealthPlex Center will feature low-E windows with a very low solar heat gain coefficient that substantially reduces radiant heat entering the building. The exterior glass will be shaded by a trellis extended along the building's east and south elevations.
The building's thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing with a white color membrane will reduce the heat island effect. Additionally, R-21 roofing insulation will reduce heat gain, decrease the interior cooling requirement and result in lower energy usage.


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Our online store is open 24/7 or send us an email
Our candy heart cold processed goat milk soap bars are made with 100% Australian fresh goat milk, Extra Virgin Olive oils, Rice bran oils, Canola oils, Coconut oils and 100% pure essential oils And it has 2 layers of colours. It comes with a lovely purple pack. An ideal gift for someone you adore !
Our soap bars contain no palm oils, no harsh chemicals or dyes, no propylene glycol, no parabens, no sodium lauryl sulphate no synthetic preservatives. We are againt animal testing hence we do not test any of our products on animals.
candy heart is made with fresh ingredients and after 8 weeks curing time, it is ready to use. Approx. Weight is 100g. Shelf life is 1 year


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coloured cord – teal
Design exclusive lighting of your own, with coloured electrical cord. Match to your lights, or choose a colour clash to create a unique look for your home or commercial space.
Braided Textile sleeve with PVC inner insulation, 3 core 0.75mm² Price per metre
Our electrical cable cord is New Zealand certified & a certificate of Compliance can be sent on request.
or 6 weekly interest free payments of NZD $4.32 with


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White Sox pitching prospect Dan Hudson is suffering from Broken Stat Line Syndrome: he's having a terrific year, but no one seems to be noticing because he's split it between three different levels. He began with a 1.23 ERA with a 30/2 K/BB in 22 innings in the Sally League, then posted a 3.40 ERA with a 49/13 K/BB in 45 innings in the Carolina League, and is now 2.03 ERA with a 46/7 K/BB in 44 innings in the Double-A Southern League. His composite line: 10-5, 2.43, 125/22 K/BB in 111 innings, just 78 hits allowed, with no deterioration in his ratios in Double-A. Hudson was a fifth round pick out of Old Dominion in 2008. He hits 90 with his fastball, has a plus slider, and has improved his changeup this year. He obviously throws strikes and has good command, and he definitely belongs on your prospect lists.
July 28, 2009
John Sickels on Dan Hudson
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'Journoterrorist' Teaches Students It's OK To Fail
By: Nu Yang
Many journalism students may be inclined to state the obvious when listing those who have most influenced their studies: Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, and so on. But at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., the man students say has had the greatest impact on their education was fired from the university in 2010 and refers to himself as the "Journoterrorist."
Michael Koretzky is a 47-year-old college dropout who works from home as a freelance editor. He blogs at journoterrorist.com, and his bio states he was "expelled from Boca Raton Academy in 1981, suspended from the University of Florida journalism school in 1989, fired from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1997, brought up on charges of 'malfeasance' and 'misfeasance' at Florida Atlantic University in 2005, (and) finally fired from there in 2010." Koretzky was adviser for the FAU student-run newspaper University Press for 12 years before being fired. Today, he continues to advise the paper on a volunteer basis.
Koretzky said his bio is a "badge of honor," meant to show students that "you will fail, but you will come out of it just fine." He received the Journoterrorist moniker from his critics who, according to Koretzky, are "thin-skinned journalists" who can't take criticism and are mostly "journalists (his) own age."
Given the antiestablishment tone of his resume, it should come as no surprise that Koretzky's teachings stray from the traditionally accepted way of doing things. On his website he refers to his journalism programs as "twisted j-ed," and his various projects have caught the attention of an industry that doesn't quite know what to make of his teaching methods. Because FAU doesn't have a journalism program, Koretzky said he wanted to create ways to teach the subject outside of the typical lecture hall.
Free food
The first of the twisted j-ed programs to be implemented was the First Amendment Free Food Festival. Koretzky started the festival in 2006 with grant funds from the Society of Professional Journalists. A section of FAU's campus was roped off and declared a socialist country. Students were offered a free lunch inside the now-foreign soil, but only if they signed away their First Amendment rights. A "goon squad" made sure students didn't speak in line, because there was no freedom of speech, and once students received their free food, they couldn't eat with friends, because they had no right to peaceably assemble. The festival has been duplicated at four other college campuses around the country.
Know when to hold 'em
The following year, Koretzky combined gambling with journalism ethics and created Ethics Hold 'em, a play on the poker game Texas Hold 'em. Instead of using regular playing cards, the faces of the cards have entries from the SPJ Code of Ethics. This exercise has also been adopted by other schools, and Koretzky encourages interested teachers to contact him for free decks.
Feed me
Will Write for Food is Koretzky's favorite program and perhaps the most controversial. Now in its fourth year, the program partners 20 college journalists with a private homeless shelter near downtown Hollywood, Fla. The shelter supports itself by selling the Homeless Voice, reportedly the second-largest street paper in the nation.
Koretzky used to volunteer as editor for the shelter's paper, and when he brought issues into the college newsroom, students would mock it, so he challenged them: "Can you do better?" Now, every Labor Day weekend, students set up a newsroom in the shelter and take over Homeless Voice — writing stories, taking photographs, and designing an entire 24-page issue in 36 hours. This year, there were 37 applicants for the 20 available spaces in the program.
Recent FAU graduate and Will Write for Food participant Gideon Grudo said, "You walk in thinking you know about homeless people, but once you start talking to them face to face, you hear their stories. They have families; they're happy; they're sad — they're very human."
Koretzky is often asked about the program's safety, but he assures skeptics that students are rarely alone. There are four advisers, and they sometimes join students on assignments when asked. Shelter staff and security are also on site.
No holds barred
Another popular program is called Unethical Press and is a spin on the typical April Fools' edition college newspapers have historically put out. Students publish an issue of the paper that violates every code of ethics listed by the SPJ. Readers can participate by identifying the broken codes in order to win a prize. Koretzky described Unethical Press as an April Fools' Day parody issue with a purpose.
Old school
All On Paper is an exercise designed to challenge students by taking away the technology they depend on so heavily. The students must publish an entire issue without using computers, cellphones, digital cameras, design software, or other modern amenities.
Koretzky said he is lucky enough to have worked during two distinct phases of journalism — one with computers, and the other when he had to write stories on manual typewriters, shoot with film cameras, and layout and paste the paper with proportion wheels and rubber cement. Last year with the help of the SPJ, FAU students published the final summer issue without using computers (see E&P, October 2011). Grudo was editor-in-chief of the paper, and he said All On Paper was his favorite of Koretzky's projects. "It was a memorable three weeks, and it is something that has stayed with me."
"The students came out of it energized," Koretzky said. "They loved hanging out together and assembling the paper. By working in the newsroom, they realized it makes the journalism better."
Koretzky's philosophy behind running these "twisted" educational programs is that they teach college students to take risks and to not be afraid. "My philosophy is try, fail, try again, and fail harder."
Despite what critics consider to be a radical approach to teaching journalism, Koretzky said that for him it's all worth it when the students "get it."
Grudo, who has participated in all of Koretzky's programs, considers himself one of the students who get it. The 26-year-old was offered a job as breaking news editor of The Jerusalem Post in Tel Aviv, but he accepted another offer instead — managing editor of the South Florida Gay News. Grudo, who is not gay but is Israeli, said he asked himself, "Do I go to Israel where my family is and work for a paper that is already laid out and has rules, or do I stay at a growing newspaper with an unknown future while plowing ahead and inventing tomorrow?"
When asked where he wants to be in a year, Grudo said, "I don't know where I want to be, and that's OK." He learned that from the Journoterrorist


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Drop in heavy vehicle fatalities seen as vindication of evolving enforcement strategy+MORE
Mercedes-Benz will be showcasing its new Actros with a live drive on July 4+MORE
VICT move exposes political talk but no torque as APSA goes federal+MORE
Nearly four years after the latest Actros arrived in Australia, the big Benz is taking another step forward+MORE
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Teachers: Beware of 'Cyberbaiting'
A study from Symantec found that 21% of teachers had either been cyberbaited or knew a teacher who had.
Cyberbaiting, according to Symantec's Internet safety advocate, Marian Merritt, is when students deliberately provoke a teacher into doing something stupid, then video it and post it online. "This of course has the net effect of embarrassing the teacher, taking a momentary lapse of judgement in a classroom and embedding it onto the web."
As per that 21%, remember it includes teachers who know someone it happened to. Only 4% said it happened to them. Still, it's one more thing for teachers to think about.
The study — which included interviews from kids and parents in 24 countries including the United States — also found that 62% of kids reported that they have had a negative experience online. It also found that 95% of parents know what their kids are looking at online.
Visit my CNET Blog for a more complete report on the study and a podcast interview with Marian Merritt.
Listen to 1 minute segment
">One 1-minute CBS News/CNET Tech Talk segment which includes a sound bite from Marian Merritt.


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Chewing the Fat: Batali and Bourdain on Fatherhood
Mario Batali and Tony Bourdain are a couple of champion fat chewers who know and like and respect each other a great deal, so we thought why not bring them together for the next set of Chewing the Fat episodes. Over a glass of wine and some tasty nibbles Mario and Tony discuss everything from the pleasures of fatherhood to what they would eat for their last supper. They truly enjoy each other's company, and their conversation turns out to be revealing, intimate, and surprisingly moving. The first webisode finds Mario getting Tony to admit that the birth of his daughter has forever changed him.
The new season of Tony's show No Reservations begins January 5th at 10 p.m. ET on the Travel Channel, so consider these Chewing the Fat episodes to be an appetizer for that. Mario's show, Spain...On the Road Again, co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Bittman, continues on PBS.
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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Green Tea Camellia sinensis
Green tea, as the name suggests, is made using the new and fresh leaves of the tea plant and has been famousily used for centuries in Japan for its detoxifying properties and has been sipped as an elixir in China for many centuries too.
The leaves used for making green tea come from 'unfermented' leaves that are flash dried. This gives green tea a lighter flavour and a higher content of antioxidants than black tea.
We use whole green tea leaves from three different countries; Da Zhang Sencha from China, Oothu Green from the Western Ghats and Suoi Gang from Vietnam.
The Suoi Gang tea plants are left to grow into full sized trees and, like the H'mong harvesters, you have to climb the trees to harvest the leaves.
Our new Green teas support WWF projects in the Himalayas.


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|Nov 28, 2013
New Patent For Safer Nanofiber Production
|(Nanowerk News) High-voltage nanofibre production, using very high voltages of up to 120,000 volts, is a principle that has been known for a long time. Naturally, there is inherently a high risk of injury if equipment operators handle the high voltage electrodes or created nano-material before the residual surface charge has been safely discharged. Until now, hand-operated external grounded electrodes have been used in apparatus used for electrostatic nanofiber production, or manufacturers didnt deal with safety of equipment at all. A new patented solution discharges the residual surface charge safely, reliably and automatically at the end of each production cycle.
|The biggest advantage of the new solution is the benefit for electrostatic nanofiber production in industry and laboratories. In the laboratory, it is necessary to discharge the accumulated charge before the researcher or student touches anything. If this is watched by automatic system, we have not always think about the safety and remind students. The same is also true for industrial production, where operators are required to handle components or products quickly inside the equipment, directly during brief interruptions in production processes, says one of the patents creators, scientist Jiri Rebicek from Contipro Biotech.
|The full title of the patent is Mechanism for discharging residual surface charge, especially for apparatuses intended for electrostatic spinning and spraying. The patented solution is already incorporated into 4SPIN, the nano-material production apparatus developed in Contipros labs. Although this is only a one-metre-high piece of laboratory equipment, many technically new solutions are used on it because of the enhanced safety and ease of operation it offers. Contipro is keen to build on the 4SPIN laboratory apparatus by rolling out pilot and operational versions.
|Contipro is a biotechnological company with a huge emphasis on innovation and in-house research, which explains why almost 100 of its employees are R&D lab experts. Contipro's scientific activities are focused on nanotechnology, tissue engineering, wound healing, delivery systems and anti-aging. www.contipro.com
|4SPIN is a desktop laboratory device used in the nanofiber and nano-material production from solutions of biopolymers and/or synthetic polymers. It can create 97% uniaxially-aligned nanofibers and excels in ability to spin solutions.
|Source: Contipro (press release)
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Jeremy Herb
The Hill
November 25, 2012
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is bringing a new — and more aggressive — approach to a longstanding debate over the Defense authorization bill, threatening to filibuster the bill to get a vote on his amendment limiting indefinite detention.
Paul's amendment takes a new tack to curb the military's ability to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism by affirming they have the right to a speedy trial by jury under the Sixth Amendment.
His push to change the indefinite detention laws for U.S. citizens follows a contentious fight last year where liberal Senate Democrats waged an unsuccessful attempt to scale back the detention laws before an 11th-hour, watered-down compromise was ultimately reached.
Paul's filibuster threat could throw into flux what's already been a long-winding road to the floor for the Defense authorization bill, which Armed Services Committee leaders have been clamoring to get on the floor since it passed out of committee in May.
Our 4th of July Super Sale has been extended! Get double Patriot Points and free shipping on the hottest items!


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After months of work, the House and Senate introduced legislation to address and prevent the abuse of physical restraint and seclusion in schools. H.R. 4247 cosponsored by Chairman George Miller (D-CA) and Representative McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and S. 2860 sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), present a comprehensive framework to address the use of restraint and seclusion for all ages in all types of schools. In so doing, they rely on and incorporate many CEC and the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders' (CCBD), a division of CEC, recommendations .
CEC and CCBD have worked diligently with Congress on this legislation over many months. In May, CEC and CCBD member Reece Peterson, Ph.D., professor at the University of Nebraska, testified before the House Education and Labor Committee on the state of research and the appropriate use of restraint and seclusion. For more information about May's hearing, click here. Dr. Peterson also discussed information from two white papers CCBD produced on this subject and offered many recommendations to the Committee.
This hearing sparked a much needed national discussion on the appropriate use of restraints and seclusion. CEC's Associate Executive Director, Deborah Ziegler, contributed to the debate by speaking with NPR, CBS News and the Washington Post about the use of restraints and seclusion in schools, and ways to properly manage and prevent children's challenging behaviors. Shortly after this, CEC also updated its policy on physical restraint and seclusion in the schools. Read CEC's Policy on Physical Restraint and Seclusion in School Settings. CEC then presented Enhancing School Safety: Appropriate Use of Restraint and Seclusion Procedures in a special congressional briefing in June of this year.
CEC played an active role in the discussions with Congress surrounding the legislation and is pleased that it includes many of CEC and CCBD's recommendations. In describing the legislation, CEC and CCBD member and noted behavior expert, George Sugai stated, "creating safe, positive, preventive, and caring learning and teaching environments is important for maximizing success for all students in America's schools."
The introduction of the legislation again sparked media coverage. Good Morning America aired a segment previewing the bill introduction, with a clip of an interview with Chairman Miller. And Chairman Miller and Rep. McMorris Rodgers wrote an op-ed on the legislation.
Finally, for more information.


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Lawyer denies wrongdoing by Connecticut dentist Rashmi Patel in patient death
HARTFORD >> A lawyer for a suspended dentist told a state disciplinary panel Wednesday that his client did nothing wrong in connection with the death of a patient who was having 20 teeth extracted in one sitting.
Dr. Rashmi Patel has offices in Enfield and Torrington. His license was suspended in April by the Connecticut State Dental Commission. The panel convened a hearing Wednesday on whether Patel's license should be restored, remain suspended or be revoked. The hearing is expected to be held over several days.
The panel suspended Patel's license two months ago after 64-year-old Judith Glan of Ellington became unresponsive during conscious anesthesia in Patel's office and died. Officials with the state Department of Public Health say another patient of Patel's also suffered a problem during conscious anesthesia in December but survived.
Patel's attorney, Michael Kogut, told the three-member commission that Patel's license never should have been suspended.
"We do not believe the department presented sufficient evidence," Kogut said. "Even as of this date, there has been no determined cause of death (for Glan)."
The commission on Wednesday denied several motions by Patel, including requests to dismiss the allegations and reinstate his license.
Some Torrington residents expressed outrage online after the story on Patel's license surfaced. The story was initially reported by WFSB. Some even came forward with personal experiences detailing uncomfortable situations at his offices on East Main Street.
Brandon Munson, 34, of Torrington, is a car salesman in the city. He said his wife and 4-year-old son became clients of Patel about two years ago, seeing him about six times over that time span. His son actually had an appointment with Patel's office a few days after Munson heard about the dentist's suspended license. His wife had an upcoming appointment, too, which he cancelled.
The action's of Patel's staff reminded Munson of a high-pressure sales situation, which he said is the type of salesmanship Munson avoided when he first started looking for jobs as a car salesman. With 10 years of car dealership experience, Munson said he has seen those situations before, and that Patel's office was quick to "attack" when they attempted to provide an additional service.
"That's exactly what that his practice reminded me of," Munson said. "It just seemed super, super shady, which should have given me a hint that maybe this isn't the best place to go."
Patel came off as a charlatan, warning Munson that if he didn't purchase an additional service, it could have consequences.
"It was just like when you go into a car dealership, and you go for the sale, then the warranty...they're playing good cop, bad cop," Munson said.
However, Munson said he continued to take his son there over the two years because the dental hygienists were great with the boy.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Munson said. "And really after the first couple of visits, my wife and I wouldn't go there."
Munson said he started looking for another doctor for his family.
Andrea Millette, 40, a patient of Patel, said the dentist was thoughtful, kind and genuinely caring.
Millette moved to Torrington three years ago from Enfield, though she said she had not heard of Patel's practice until she moved to Torrington. She works in sales and heard about the dentist through word of mouth recommendations. She became one of his patients two years ago.
"I only have good things to say. He's very caring and he explains everything," Millette said,
Millette said she was shocked when she first heard of Patel's suspended license. She said Patel always made her feel comfortable whenever she visited. Her latest visit to his office was about two weeks ago for a teeth cleaning.
"I just think the world of him," Millette said. "I think he's a great guy, a great dentist. Hopefully it works out."
Department of Public Health officials say Patel violated care standards by attempting to remove numerous teeth, perform bone grafts and install implants during a single office visit despite Glan's medical history, which included heart problems. They also say Patel didn't adequately consult with Glan's doctors.
State officials say Patel didn't respond appropriately when Glan's oxygen levels dropped during the anesthesia. They also allege he improperly delegated induction of the sedation and monitoring of the patient to assistants not trained or licensed to perform such actions.
David Tilles, a lawyer for the Health Department, told the commission that Patel's license needed to be suspended in order to protect the public from what he called Patel's "dental judgments." Tilles said Patel's license should remain suspended pending the outcome of the hearing.
"Your role is to protect the public," Tilles told commissioners.
Patel, 45, of Suffield, declined to comment Wednesday. His business partner and supporter, Michael Schoerie, said Patel followed all proper procedures and state officials have developed a "lynch mob mentality" against him. He also said multiple tooth extractions in one sitting aren't unusual.
Representatives of Patel's Torrington office did not respond to calls for comment Wednesday.
"The Department of Public Health has acted far outside the norm," Schoerie said outside the hearing.
He added, "We still don't know the cause of death ... but he is sitting here on trial."
Register Citizen Reporter Esteban L. Hernandez contributed to this report.


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1488 159th Place Ne (unit 2.2)
$954,990, 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,014 Sqft
Listing Office: Cascadian King Company LLC
About This Property
Upton at Crossroads Village by Polygon Northwest, A Proud Division of William Lyon Homes is proud to offer Plan F, 2014 Sqft & offers 3 bedrooms,3.5 baths, gourmet island kitchen, top level loft w/ roof top open deck facing Bellevue Golf Course and walkable to Crossroads mall.. ideal for daily living and entertaining! Beautifully upgraded home!
Essential Information
Community Information
Dishwasher, Garbage Disposal, Microwave, Range/Oven
Baseboard, Ductless HP-Mini Split
Lot Description
Alley, Curbs, Paved Street, Sidewalk
School Information
Additional Information
1488 159th Place Ne (unit 2.2), Bellevue (MLS® #1464074) Property History
All listings featuring the icon are provided courtesy of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS), Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. The database information herein is provided from and copyrighted by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS). NWMLS data may not be reproduced or redistributed and is only for people viewing this site. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. The information contained in these listings has not been verified by Sterling Johnston Real Estate and should be verified by the buyer. All properties are subject to prior sale or withdrawal. All rights are reserved by copyright. Property locations as displayed on any map are best approximations only and exact locations should be independently verified.
Listing information last updated on July 1st, 2020 at 10:23pm PDT.


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Holy Family Catholic School feeds approximately 320 students 5 days a week from September to June. Our student nutrition program would not be able to run without the efforts of all our great volunteers and from the support of the school community.
Holy Family Catholic School needs your support to ensure that the Nutrition for Learning program is available for our students.
100% of donations through this portal go directly to the Holy Family Catholic School Student Nutrition Program
Thank you for your donation!
School Website: https://holyfamily.wcdsb.ca/


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Hot stuff: Moore's screed should be seen
Sending a Republican to review Fahrenheit 9/11 would be like having an atheist review The Passion of the Christ. Don't worry. The Hook did neither in my case.
The polarizing effect of these films on actual and potential viewers proves that one person's documentary or docudrama is another's fantasy.
The title comes from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, named for the temperature at which paper burns, in the hope that 911 will be the temperature for burning Bush.
Although I would advocate anything short of assassination to get Dubya out of the White House, I'm not taking a straight party line on Fahrenheit 9/11. Overlong and not entirely focused, it's the most financially successful documentary ever made, but not the best, or even Michael Moore's best. (That would be Bowling for Columbine.)
That doesn't mean I don't encourage everyone to see the latest offering, only that I feel the need to be completely honest in recommending an exposé of a liar.
Moore, an entertainer with a strong point of view, begins with Election Night of the year 2000: "Was it all a dream?" It comes down to Florida, and network after network predicts Al Gore will take the state. Then Fox News, where George W. Bush's first cousin is in charge that night, decides the race will go to Dubya. Like reverse dominoes, the other networks get up again and fall the other way.
The last domino to fall is the U.S. Supreme Court. Several representatives protest the certification of the election but can't get a single senator to back them, so they're ruled out of order.
After a stormy inauguration, Bush takes office, then takes a vacation. His first eight months include a lot of vacation time (42 percent, according to the Washington Post) and ignoring an August 6 warning about the upcoming al-Quaida attack.
The screen is dark during the World Trade Center assault with only sound effects, followed by images of the shock, fear, and chaos that followed. Meanwhile, the President, informed of the attack, is reading My Pet Goat to Florida schoolchildren.
Two days later, while Americans– including George H. W. Bush and Ricky Martin– are grounded, the White House arranges for 24 members of the Bin Laden family and more than 100 other Saudis to fly out of the U.S.
There follows an account of the financial ties between Saudi Arabia and the Bush family and their friends, investments totaling $1.4 billion over a 30-year period. Moore concludes that the world's largest oil-producing nation invested in American oil companies only for the sake of access, and their investment paid off after 9/11.
Although 15 of the 19 9/11 terrorists were Saudis, that country was never in danger of a retaliatory attack. In fact, their ambassador dined at the White House on September 13. We invaded Afghanistan, even though some Taliban officials were also in business with the Bushes. That war is briefly summarized as an old Western movie.
The President had been looking for an Iraqi connection all along, and when he couldn't find one, he made one up– several actually, chiefly imaginary weapons of mass destruction and equally fanciful ties between al-Quaida and Saddam Hussein. These excuses– later modified to liberating the Iraqi people from Saddam's human rights abuses– were used to justify our invasion of the country where we're still mired today.
Lest you accuse Moore of being one-sided, he allows a gum-chewing Britney Spears to declare her support for the President and his actions. No offense to Ms. Spears, whose "talents" are covered up in this clip, but it's about this time the film starts to ramble.
Moore starts in on military recruitment efforts, a topic he'll return to at the end when he chides congresspeople because only one of the 535 of them has an enlisted son serving in Iraq. Concentrating on his hometown of Flint, Michigan, he introduces the film's de facto "star," Lila Lipscomb, a patriotic woman whose daughter served in the first Gulf War and whose son is serving in the current one.
Describing herself as a "conservative Democrat," Lila says she used to hate protesters until she realized they were opposing the concept of war, not the troops who were fighting it. She is radicalized by her son's death, a high price to pay for enlightenment. Moore exploits her grief as offensively as any evening newscast, but it makes a point and could ultimately save other mothers from suffering the same fate.
The money connection is emphasized with an out-of-context clip of Bush addressing his peeps, "the haves and the have-mores," and a very much in-context sequence at a "Rebuilding Iraq" conference, where corporations bidding for a piece of the pie are told how much they stand to make from the war and its aftermath. One of the biggest beneficiaries, of course, has been Halliburton, the company where Dick Cheney served as CEO before becoming vice president.
As one corporate type puts it, war is "good for business, bad for the people."
It's not hard to make George W. Bush look like an idiot, as in scenes where he's being made up or mugging just before going on the air, when he trips over his tongue while speaking, or is just caught looking stupid in a freeze-frame. A movie this serious needs that comic relief.
What's important is that Moore makes Bush look like a dangerous idiot, one who puts the interests of a privileged few above those of the majority or of the country as a whole. This is why Moore believes he shouldn't be re-elected, no matter what tricks he pulls in late October.
I can't say I accept Michael Moore's word as gospel, any more than I do Mel Gibson's in The Passion of the Christ. I would like to see Bush attempt a point-by-point rebuttal to Fahrenheit 9/11, but I'm sure his people are focusing instead on finding– or assembling in Photoshop– a picture of Michael Moore acting as best man at Saddam Hussein's wedding!


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A roundtable discussion moderated by AdvisorOne's Jamie Green at the Schwab Impact 2011 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday tackled the increasing use of alternative investments by advisors and clients.
The roundtable featured participants from major alternative investment suppliers and included Andy O'Rourke and John Cadigan of Direxion Funds; Bob Worthington of Hatteras Funds; Brian Watson of SteelPath, and Rick Lake of Aston/Lake Partners LASSO Fund.
"The protesters represent a generation disenfranchised with equities and long-only strategies," Cadigan began, referencing the Occupy Wall Street movement and sympathetic splinter protests in major cities throughout the country. "It's a challenge for clients and advisors, but an educational opportunity for the industry."
Cadigan added that baby boomers are transferring from wealth accumulation to distribution, and many are shying away from equities "given what recently happened, and advisors have well over 50% or so of their portfolios in fixed income. The strategies we represent help prevent the drawdown of their assets."
Lake said the people with whom he speaks are concerned about three things: risk management, returns and diversification.
"In risk management, they want a smoother ride," Lake explained. "With return, they are desperate for a source of returns in an unkind world. With diversification, they receive better risk-adjusted returns with our strategies than many traditional sources. We're trying to get them away from, 'What was up yesterday, and am I in it?'"
Worthington added that the advisors he speaks with want to mitigate risk and reduce volatility. They know volatility isn't going away, at least in the foreseeable future, and alternatives are a hedge against volatility. But Worthington said he sees confusion on the part of advisors as to how to get returns versus a long-only strategy.
"They will use more alternatives, mainly in hedging strategies, but they will still need to deliver more return, and they're still concerned about where those sources will come from," he said.
"There is frustration with the markets, where clients think, 'The more I get in total return the better, but I want it with less sensitivity to the S&P 500,'" Watson added. "That's what we offer. We're trying to validate that low risk aspect by buying managers that have low risk strategies."
Green then asked participants if advisors were worried about fees and if they're pushing back against the costs associated with alternative products and strategies.
Worthington said price is less of an issue with those vehicles with whucg advisors are familiar, and the industry will probably continue to reduce fees. Two-thirds of the advisors with whom Worthington speaks don't mention fees, but the other one-third does. Whether or not fees come up is directly tied to the advisor's previous exposure to alternatives, he suggested.
"Three weeks ago I was at a conference where the advisors were trying to benchmark alpha in the traditional space with beta, and then comparing that to alternatives," Cadigan said. "So there is a lack of understanding in the alternative space about the nuances in various exposures, let alone fees. What they really need is education on the various products and the competency of the managers managing those products."
O'Rourke noted a two-tiered sales process. The first is to define alternative investments. The second is to then set expectations as to how alternatives will perform in certain markets. This second tier, he noted, is the harder of the two.
Cadigan added that investors want to see how alternatives would have performed in the 1980s and 1990s.
"The reality is the 1980s and 1990s were aberrations, so it wouldn't be accurate," he said.
"In a way it's a very good time to be selling theses products because so many people still have recent memories of how the markets performed," during 2008-2009, O'Rourke added.
Lake then mentioned that sophisticated advisors realize they will have to pay more money for expertise, and they will do it. But they also understand that there are some products that are relatively straightforward. Lake said it's a bit "like buying at Target and buying at Tiffany's."
Worthington moved to a discussion of the focus on so-called "liquid alternatives" because of what happened in 2008.
"Many advisors don't realize the 'illiquidity premium' will always be with us," he said. "But many billion dollar teams are asking more for liquidity and once they get that they will do quite well."
Lake added that advisors and investors have to diversify not only by asset class, but by varying degrees of liquidity.
"If you think you can build a portfolio with just alternative investments that are liquid, you won't get the returns," Worthington said. "A portion should be in liquid alternatives, but not all. One other point—just think if we had the market penetration in 2002 that we have today, when hedge funds and fund-of-fund strategies held up. It would be a much different conversation."
Cadigan complained that absolute return strategies are in vogue, but the name completely misrepresents what they are designed to do, adding, "I'll take a negative return of 19% versus a negative return of 37% any day."
The discussion then turned to an examination of alternative investment performance in the most recent recession versus previous recessions, with Lake noting the bear market of 2000 to 2002 "was in many ways a dream bear market. It came on slowly, and kind of rolled through where some asset classes were up and some were down; versus the wood chipper of 2008 when everything got shredded."
"We are hedged; we are insurance and insurance costs money," Worthington said. "In an up market, clients may only experience 40% of the upside and think it's not very good, But let's remember what this is for."
"Clients are not benchmarked like they were in the 1980s and 1990s," Cadigan added. "Now it's about getting to where they need to be."
Watson said that he sector in which SteelPath resides, a number of firms launched funds in MLPs and tried to take advantage of very specific subsectors. But the space couldn't support them, he claimed. He added that clients need to realize they own good names and to be patient, but that's a tough story to tell.
"But 2008 is a good marketing tool for us," he said. "We say, 'If you had these names in 2007, by 2009 when the dust settled they looked pretty good.' So let's remember what these are for."
"Most people today make money, rather than inherit money," Cadigan added. "They took a risk in business and now that they've [sold those businesses] cashed out, they don't want another [risk]. But when we explain these products most people immediately think Madoff."
Green concluded the session by wondering if the term "alternative investment" is misleading.
"There really are only four major asset classes: equities, fixed income, currency and commodities," Worthington answered. "I think that five years from now 'alternative' will apply to a lifestyle rather than investing, because many of these products no longer are alternative."
"Sure, and five years ago it was all about hedge funds. Now that term is almost quaint and it's all about alternatives," Lake answered.
"It really comes down to taking alternative investments and traditional investments and putting them in a strategy that works in either market direction," Cadigan concluded.
Click here to read AdvisorOne's complete coverage of Schwab Impact 2011.


text:
Ker-Lindsay, James and Webb, Keith (2006) Cyprus. European Journal of Political Research, 45(7-8), pp. 1071-1077. ISSN (print) 0304-4130Full text not available from this archive.
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2006.00658.x
|Item Type:
|Research Area:
|Politics and international studies
|Faculty, School or Research Centre:
|Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (until 2017) > Helen Bamber Centre for the Study of Rights and Conflicts
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (until 2017) > School of Social Science (until November 2012)
|Depositing User:
|James Ker-Lindsay
|Date Deposited:
|01 Aug 2007
|Last Modified:
|17 Nov 2008 17:22
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Press Release: Bulletin #3 – Day 12 of Tent City on steps of Berkeley's Post Office
Tent City to privateers: Hands off the public commons! Halt the heist of the Post Office!
The Tent City on the steps of Berkeley's main post office is now in its 12th day. Two dozen campers have been sleeping there to rally opposition to the Grand Theft of the people's Post Office being engineered by Postmaster General Donahoe and his right wing collaborators in Congress. "These post offices were paid for by our parents and grandparents," said one camper. "Why should they be sold off to line the pockets of a handful of big corporations?" -more-


text: Loading Content... Share a Link to this Message The link has been copied to your clipboard; paste it anywhere you would like to share it. Close - Browse Series - ------------- View Series Archives View All Messages ------------- Finding Your Place Out of the Ashes Mark Living with Purpose Colossians Philippians: Mind Your Mind Hebrews: The Posture of Faith Philemon Jude: Defending the Gospel Jonah: Whale Tales Galatians: Christ Alone Non-Series Sermons 1 Peter - Browse Speakers - Mark Ackeret Brian Blais Kyle Briar Matt Brown Bobby Burdett Jordan Clark Bernard Dodeler Dave Ferguson Jonathan Halk Luke Hibshman JD Highfill Todd Himes Joel Hughes Herb Hunter John Jewers Rob Laing Troy Manning Bob Metze Alec Millen John Morgan Jimmy Pierre Jimmy Pierre Ron Redlinger Gary Roberts Sam Slobodian Jared Stevenson Paul Stevenson Jon Templeton Joel Troester Tom Vietti Ray Virtue Joe Whalen - Browse Topics - mercy grace Missions Palm Sunday Easter Sunday Christmas Psalms Instruments of Grace Truth Faithfulness John Jewers - March 4, 2018 The Servant's Power (Mark 4:35-6:6) Listen So, how's life been working for you lately? Have you got a pretty good handle on things? Is everything under control? More Messages from John Jewers | Download Audio From Series: "Mark" Facebook Tweet Link Share Link Send Email More Messages From John Jewers... Pursuing People - Part 1 (Luke 15:1-32) John Jewers March 24, 2019 Listen Living in Grace (I Peter 5:12-16) John Jewers March 17, 2019 Listen The Music of Grace! - Pt. 3c-2 (I Peter 5:5-11) John Jewers March 10, 2019 Listen The Music of Grace - Pt.3c-1 (I Peter 5:1-4) John Jewers March 3, 2019 Listen Unchanging Gospel Truth (Acts 3:1-26) John Jewers January 27, 2019 Listen The Music of Grace - Pt.3b-4c (I Peter 4:12-19) John Jewers January 20, 2019 Listen The Music of Grace - Pt.3b-4b (I Peter 4:1-11) John Jewers January 13, 2019 Listen The Music of Grace - Pt.3b-4a (I Peter 3:8-22) John Jewers January 6, 2019 Listen Rest for the Weary! (Hebrews 4:14-16) John Jewers December 30, 2018 Listen Christmas Promises: A Magnificent Victory! (Isaiah 10:20-12:6) John Jewers December 23, 2018 Listen Displaying 31-40 of 232« Back 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 …22More » Powered by Series Engine


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Tonga Torcida has been working as a safari guide and field assistant in Gorongosa National Park since one fateful day when he met Greg Carr near his home on Mount Gorongosa. Greg saw his potential to make a difference in Gorongosa and hired him on the spot. His hard work, ambition, and dedication to conservation of Gorongosa's ecosystem earned him a chance to pursue his dream studying at the College of African Wildlife Management in Mweka, Tanzania.
Tonga assisting E.O. Wilson with collecting animal specimens in Gorongosa
Tonga left on his journey from Gorongosa to Tanzania this week and we wish him the best of luck! Before he left, we got a chance to ask Tonga a few questions about adventure:
Q: Why are you excited to go to school in Tanzania?
Tonga: "I am very excited about going to college in Tanzania to learn and bring knowledge back to Mozambique and especially to Gorongosa, as Gorongosa is our national treasure. We cannot live without nature and that is why I'm so excited."
Q: What will you miss most about Gorongosa?
Tonga: "Well, home is a home, but since I am going to learn, there is nothing that I will miss except being close to my national treasure (Gorongosa) with its natural beauty and amazing, unforgettable landscape. I will especially miss the Lion House and Murombodzi waterfall."
Tonga departing Gorongosa on his way to wildlife college in Tanzania
We will continue to follow Tonga's experiences at school and his return to Gorongosa. Please stay tuned!