text:
Potential cardiovascular mortality reductions with stricter food policies in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Martin O´Flaherty a, Gemma Flores-Mateo b, Kelechi Nnoaham c, Ffion Lloyd-Williams a & Simon Capewell a
a. Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Quadrangle, Liverpool, L69 3GB, England.
b. Institut d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol, Barcelona, Spain.
c. Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, England.
Correspondence to Simon Capewell (e-mail: email@example.com).
(Submitted: 27 June 2011 – Revised version received: 04 February 2012 – Accepted: 08 February 2012 – Published online: 12 April 2012.)
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2012;90:522-531. doi: 10.2471/BLT.11.092643
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the United Kingdom, where coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke cause 150 000 deaths every year. Of these CVD deaths, more than 40 000 occur prematurely, in people younger than 75 years.1 Apart from smoking, the main risk factors for CVD are elevated blood cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, obesity and diabetes, all related to poor eating habits. According to the United Kingdom's government report for 2008, poor nutrition causes more than 70 000 preventable premature deaths annually, mainly from CVD.2 A recent paper estimated this figure at 33 000 deaths.3 Regardless, the health effects of poor nutrition pose an enormous economic burden; poor diet alone costs the government of the United Kingdom an annual 6 billion pounds sterling.3
CVD is consistently associated with the so-called "Western" diet, consisting mainly of dairy products, meat and processed foods.2–5 CVD mortality rates are twice as high among segments of society that follow such a diet than among people who eat sensibly.2–4 Salt, sugar, saturated fat and trans fats are harmful when consumed in excess; conversely, fruit and vegetables (which contain potassium, antioxidants and fibre), polyunsaturated fats (e.g. from sunflower and canola oil), mono-unsaturated fats (e.g. from olive oil), whole grains, pulses, nuts and fish have consistently shown a protective effect against CVD.2–4
In the United Kingdom and the United States of America, processed foods and fast, takeaway foods are the main dietary sources of excess salt, saturated fats, trans fats and excess calories. In 2001 the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of the United Kingdom began working with industry to develop a range of healthy food strategies,5 including voluntary product reformulation, clearer (traffic light) package labelling of nutrient levels and media campaigns. The FSA's salt strategy helped reduce the average daily salt intake by nearly 1 g between 2001 and 2008 (from 9.5 to 8.6 g, respectively).6 However, outside the United Kingdom stricter regulatory policies have resulted in much greater reductions.7 For instance, between 1979 and 2002 Finland's daily average salt intake fell from 12 g to 9 g.7
The FSA's strategy in the United Kingdom also sought to reduce the daily average intake of saturated fat from 13.3% to 11% of total food energy by 2010,5 yet currently the figure stands at 12.8%.6 Finland and Iceland, on the other hand, reduced saturated fat intake by 5% of total energy in one or two decades.4,8 Furthermore, in the traditional Italian and Japanese diets and the successful DASH and OMNI diets, 6% of total energy comes from saturated fats.9
Dietary industrial trans fats, resulting from the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils, are particularly toxic. By raising serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and reducing high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol), they substantially increase the risk of CHD and stroke.10 The Government of the United Kingdom currently recommends consuming less than 2% of total energy in the form of trans fats. Average trans fat intake for adults in the United Kingdom reportedly represents only 0.8% of total energy consumption.6,11 However, the true value is probably closer to 1% because routine surveys tend to underestimate consumption outside the home, particularly from fast foods. Furthermore, ethnic minorities, low-income adults and children probably consume substantially more.12 In contrast, Denmark's 2004 legislative ban eliminated the consumption of dietary industrial trans fats within a year (from a baseline of 4%).13 Currently Austria, Canada, Iceland, Switzerland and several states in the United States are aggressively working to eliminate trans fats.10
Finally, the average quantity of fruit and vegetables eaten daily in the United Kingdom has levelled at about 245 g since 2003.6 This is much lower than the pragmatic target of 400 g (five portions) and less than half of the 600 g per day already achieved in much of France, Greece and Italy and now recommended for the entire European Union.14
The FSA reasonably estimated that approximately 7000 CVD deaths would be averted annually if people in the United Kingdom reached the current (modest) dietary targets for saturated fat and trans fats.5,11 However, the potential benefit of more ambitious dietary targets remains unclear. We therefore estimated the potential reduction in CVD mortality achievable in the United Kingdom if stricter, yet feasible food policies were established, as in other countries, to further decrease the intake of salt, saturated fats and trans fats and increase fruit and vegetable consumption.
The potential decrease in CVD deaths was estimated for two policy scenarios:
- conservative: modest dietary improvements, based on assuming that recent trends will continue to 2015, yielding further small reductions in intake (by 0.5% of total energy for trans fat; by 1% of total energy for saturated fat; by 1 g per day for salt) and one additional daily portion of fruit or vegetables;
- aggressive: more substantial (but feasible) dietary improvements, as seen elsewhere, yielding larger reductions in intake (by 1% of total energy for trans fat; by 3% of total energy for saturated fat; by 3 g per day for salt) and three additional daily portions of fruit or vegetables.
We developed a spreadsheet model to quantify the deaths potentially averted by adopting healthier food policies. Contemporary data on diet and mortality among adults aged 25 to 84 years in the United Kingdom were obtained from national surveys and official statistics. Potential reductions in CVD mortality were then calculated by synthesizing age-specific population, dietary and mortality data (Appendix A, available at: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/medchamps/assets/WHObulletinUKFoodPolicyOptionsAppend2April12.pdf).1,6
Modelling approach
The CVD deaths averted by each food policy intervention were calculated by multiplying the number of deaths observed in the United Kingdom in 2006 (baseline year) for all age groups between 25 and 84 years by the reduction in the relative risk (RR) of dying from CHD or stroke. The reductions in RR were estimated on the basis of age- and sex-specific values obtained from the largest and most recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews of large controlled trials and observational studies (Appendix B, available at: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/medchamps/assets/WHObulletinUKFoodPolicyOptionsAppend2April12.pdf).
Reduced trans fats
We first assumed, under the conservative policy scenario, that by 2015 the fraction of total energy derived from trans fats would have decreased by an additional 0.5%. We subsequently assumed, under the aggressive policy scenario, that a legislative ban on industrial trans fats would essentially eliminate their intake, as witnessed in Denmark,13 and would further decrease trans fats intake by approximately 1% of total energy.
We then used the RR from the largest meta-analysis to estimate the CVD deaths that would be averted under the aggressive scenario.15 If the 2% total energy derived from industrial trans fats were completely replaced by monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, mortality from CHD would drop by approximately 23%.15 Thus, if the total energy derived from trans fats were reduced by 0.5%, the number of CHD deaths would drop by approximately 6%.15
The number of CHD deaths averted under the aggressive scenario was then calculated by multiplying by 0.06 the number of deaths from CHD in the United Kingdom in 2006 in each age group. For example, in 2006 11 947 CHD deaths occurred among men aged 65 to 74 years. The estimated number of CHD deaths averted in this group would thus be approximately:
This process was repeated for all other age groups and for both men and women.
We followed a similar procedure to calculate the number of deaths from stroke potentially averted under the aggressive scenario. If the total energy derived from trans fats were reduced by 0.5%, stroke deaths would be reduced by approximately 3% in both men and women (Appendix B).15
Reduced saturated fats
We assumed that by 2015 the fraction of total energy derived from saturated fats would have been reduced by an additional 1% under the conservative policy scenario, and by an additional 3% under the aggressive policy scenario (from an average of 12.8%5,6 to 9.8%). Using summary estimates from Mozaffarian et al.'s meta-analysis,16 we determined that replacing the 5% of total energy derived from saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats would reduce CHD mortality by approximately 11.5%.16 However, since complete replacement of saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats would be an unrealistic goal, we assumed that only half of the saturated fat would be replaced by polyunsaturated fat and the other half by monounsaturated fat. This would effectively halve the reduction in deaths from both CHD and stroke.16
Reduced salt
We assumed that by 2015 the average salt intake would have decreased by 1 g per day in the conservative scenario and by 3 g per day in the aggressive policy scenario (i.e. from 8.6 to 5.6 g).7 The number of CHD deaths preventable by reducing daily salt intake by 1 g and 3 g was then calculated, as for other nutrients, by multiplying the number of deaths from CHD in the United Kingdom in 2006 by the predicted percentage reduction in CHD deaths. Based on a meta-analysis by Strazzullo et al., we determined that reducing daily salt intake by 5 g (equivalent to 2000 mg less sodium per day) would translate into approximately 17% fewer CHD deaths and approximately 23% fewer stroke deaths annually.17
We followed the same procedure to calculate the potential reduction in deaths from stroke.
Increased fruits and vegetables
We assumed that by 2015 the average intake of fruits and vegetables would have increased by one daily portion of either (from the current average of three portions to four) in the conservative policy scenario and by three portions (i.e. to 500 g or about six portions daily) in the aggressive policy.14
One additional portion a day would reduce CHD deaths by approximately 4% and stroke deaths by approximately 5%, according to Dauchet et al.18,19 To calculate the CHD deaths averted by one and three additional daily portions of fruit and vegetables, we multiplied the number of CHD deaths observed in 2006 by 0.04 and the number of deaths from stroke by 0.05.
Effect of age on mortality
We incorporated age attrition into our model using a method followed by leading cardiovascular epidemiologists.20,21 Specifically, we assumed that the reduction in deaths from CVD associated with a change in the intake of specific macronutrients decreased with age. We modelled this age gradient to mirror the age-specific decreases in the risk of death from CVD associated with both hypertension and elevated total cholesterol.20,21
Cumulative effects: Like other researchers,8,16,17 we assumed that simultaneous improvements in the intake of all macronutrients would have a cumulative rather than a merely additive effect on mortality. For instance, if a reduction of 3 g in daily salt intake had already reduced deaths from CVD by approximately 20%, any additional benefit from reducing trans fats could only act on the residual risk, namely, 80% (i.e. 1 − 0.20).
We therefore estimated the total benefit using the following standard formula:Total benefit = 1 − [(1 − a) × (1 − b) × (1 − c) × (1 − d)]where a, b, c and d represent the percentage reductions in deaths for changes in the intake of salt, saturated fat, trans fats and fruit and vegetables, respectively.8,16,17
Sensitivity analyses
All modelling involves uncertainty. We therefore explored the effects of changes in food policy on CVD risk factors and deaths by performing a probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The uncertainty of the hazards ratio and the RR parameters were characterized using a log-normal distribution. We performed Monte Carlo simulations, allowing the parameters based on the effect sizes obtained from the literature to vary stochastically. All calculations were performed separately for men and women and were stratified by age. Results were rounded to the nearest hundred and summarized as medians; 95% CIs for the median were generated using the bootstrap percentile method in Stata version 9 (StataCorp. LP, College Station, United States of America).22
Conservative scenario
In 2006 (the base year), 149 840 CVD deaths occurred in the United Kingdom (94 660 from CHD and 55 180 from stroke). Given population ageing and growth, by 2015 an estimated 168 520 CVD deaths will occur in the United Kingdom (107 140 CHD and 61 380 stroke deaths), representing a rise of approximately 11% if 2006 rates do not change (Appendix C, available at: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/medchamps/assets/WHObulletinUKFoodPolicyOptionsAppend2April12.pdf).
Reducing the total energy from trans fats by 0.5% and from saturated fat by 1%, reducing salt consumption by 1 g per day, and increasing fruit and vegetable intake by 1 portion per day could result in approximately 12 500 fewer CVD deaths (minimum: 5490; maximum: 30 260) (Table 1). This would represent an 8% reduction from the total CVD deaths otherwise expected in 2015 in the United Kingdom.
Table 1. Overall annual falls in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke potentially attributable to (A) modest and (B) more substantial dietary improvements, United Kingdom
html, 10kb
Approximately 3500 of the 12 500 fewer CVD deaths would result from a decrease of 0.5% in the total energy derived from trans fats; around 4000 from a decrease of 1.0% in the total energy derived from saturated fats; approximately 2300 from a decrease of 1 g in salt consumption, and about 2700 from one additional portion of fruit or vegetables daily. (Table 1)
The 12 500 fewer CVD deaths would comprise approximately 4800 fewer deaths from CHD among men (range: 2050–12 030) and 3500 (range: 1500–8700) fewer among women, and in 1820 fewer deaths from stroke in men (range: 900–4000) and 2400 in women (range: 1050–5500). Approximately 30% of the specific mortality decrease in men and 10% in women would represent reductions in people younger than 65 years (Table 2).
Table 2. Age-specific falls in deaths from annual coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke potentially attributable to modesta dietary improvements, United Kingdom
html, 13kb
Aggressive scenario
Fig. 1 shows the potential reduction in CVD deaths for each dietary scenario, bounded by minimum and maximum estimates from the sensitivity analysis.
Fig. 1. Estimated annual reductions in deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) with modest and more substantial but feasible dietary improvements, United Kingdom
The more substantial decreases in harmful macronutrients and increased consumption of fruit and vegetables could result in approximately 29 900 fewer CVD deaths per year (range: 13 300–74 900) (Table 1 and Table 3). This would represent a reduction in total CVD deaths in the United Kingdom of approximately 20%.
Table 3. Age-specific falls in deaths from annual coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke potentially attributable to more substantiala dietary improvements, United Kingdom
html, 13kb
Legislation to effectively eliminate the consumption of trans fats (to reach 0% of total energy) could result in approximately 4700 fewer deaths (range: 2500–8800) per year.
A reduction of 3% in total energy from saturated fats (from 12.8% to 9.8% of total energy) could result in approximately 11 200 fewer deaths (range: 5900–21 600).
A daily reduction of 3 g in salt intake (from 8.6 to 5.6 g per day) might generate approximately 6600 fewer CVD deaths (range: 1700–26 000) per year, while an additional three portions of fruit and vegetables daily could result in approximately 7420 fewer deaths (range: 3160–18 410).
Sensitivity analyses
The relative mortality contributions from these dietary changes remained reasonably consistent in robust sensitivity analyses (Fig. 1 and Table 1).
Our conservative estimates suggest that modest dietary improvements in the United Kingdom could avert approximately 12 000 annual deaths from CVD by 2015. However, more substantial improvements could avert about 30 000 CVD deaths annually (still fewer than recorded elsewhere). This would represent a 20% reduction in CVD deaths in the United Kingdom, almost one third of which would have occurred prematurely (< 75 years). These results remained robust in the sensitivity analysis.
The more substantial improvements would probably require more radical policy interventions. In a recent US study, approximately 40% of all premature CVD deaths (in people less than 70 years of age) might be avoided by optimizing various dietary risk factors.23 The modest discrepancies between this study's findings and ours could well reflect methodological differences, since Danaei et al. optimistically assumed ideal dietary intake targets that practically eliminated the risk factor.23 Two recent US studies on salt reduction also reported comparable mortality decreases, along with impressive cost savings.22,24 Furthermore, comparable cost savings might be confidently anticipated for all population-wide dietary improvements.25,26
Our estimate of approximately 4700 fewer CVD deaths following trans fat elimination is also reassuringly close to the 7000 quoted in a recent BMJ editorial.10 The benefit for individuals and ethnic groups with insulin resistance may be even greater.10,15 In Denmark, legislation passed in 2004 banning industrial trans fats resulted in a rapid drop to zero consumption.13 After initial opposition, the EU slowly relented and subsequently discussed a ban across Europe.27 Following Denmark, several countries, including Austria, Canada, Iceland and Switzerland (and several US cities and states), have recently taken steps to reduce or ban industrial trans fats in food.10 Canada was the first country to require that the trans fats levels in pre-packaged foods be included on the mandatory nutrition facts table. Though less powerful, labelling regulations inform consumers, motivate industry to reformulate its products and favourably influence social norms. Many manufacturers have now reduced trans fat content.28 In Seattle, a programme to phase out industrial trans fats in fast food outlets encountered surprisingly little opposition from commercial interests; most stakeholders apparently considered it a logical step.29
Diet powerfully contributes to health inequity. Low-income groups, which also suffer the highest burden of CVD and other chronic diseases, have consistently worse diet patterns.30,31 The Government of the United Kingdom has spent over a decade promoting fruit and vegetable consumption, but with frustratingly small improvements.6 Social marketing campaigns and free fruit schemes for schools have clearly not sufficed. Energy-dense, nutrient-poor "junk food" remains cheap and is aggressively marketed,32 whereas fruit and vegetables remain relatively expensive.2,30 Improvements will clearly require additional structural changes.25,32–34
Policy decisions at the European level can powerfully affect food availability and consumption at the national level, both directly and indirectly. The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which massively influences agriculture and nutrition across Europe, has an annual expenditure of approximately 45 billion euros. This sum represents about 45% of the overall EU budget.27 To deal with the historical threat of food shortages, the CAP has tended to increase the availability of cheap saturated fats while raising the price of and reducing the availability of healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables.14,33,34 CAP reform is urgently needed and should ideally incorporate Finland's request to the EU for "health in all policies" (including agriculture).
Other effective interventions also exist. Lessons from tobacco control appear surprisingly relevant. The key targets are affordability, accessibility and acceptability.32 If the new government of the United Kingdom is seriously intent upon reducing the double burden of childhood obesity and adult CVD, taxing junk food and using the revenue to subsidize the fresh fruit and vegetable industry would be both feasible and cost-saving, even in an economic recession.10,22,24–26
Our study has several strengths. The methods employed are transparent and easily replicated. Risk factors were treated as continuous rather than categorical variables.35 Diverse but realistic policy scenarios were examined, based upon changes actually observed in other European countries. We also assumed that the benefits would be cumulative rather than additive.36 The estimated 12 000 deaths per year with modest dietary improvements were consistent with FSA estimates based on less rigorous dietary targets.5,11 Our conservative estimates did not include the potential benefits of increasing the intake of nuts, whole grains, fibre and fish; these would have further reduced mortality.37
Our study also has limitations. We did not explicitly model lag times. However, substantial reductions in deaths from CVD following dietary changes can occur very rapidly in randomized cohorts and entire populations.28,38,39 We also assumed that the effects of food policies on dietary intake in the United Kingdom would be quantitatively similar to those in other countries, without explicitly considering political, commercial, cultural and socioeconomic differences or whether other countries' baseline dietary values were high or low. We also assumed commercial vested interests could be minimised. However, recent notable events include the industry lobbying behind the United Nations' recent high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases, and the undermining or sabotage of effective interventions such as EU's front-of-pack food labelling.40,41 The DASH and Omni Heart randomized trials have demonstrated, nonetheless, that individuals can rapidly improve their dietary intake substantially and over the long term, even in the absence of the supportive social environments provided by healthy policies.9
We assumed that trans fats would be replaced by an equal mixture of "good" monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, not by "bad" saturated fats (as observed in Canada28). We also assumed that changes in dietary variable would be similar across all age groups. Variance and skew could be assessed in future models, along with compression of morbidity, social stratification and cumulative benefits over a lifetime.
Another assumption was that any effects of dietary changes on mortality would wane with increasing age, as with cholesterol and blood pressure.20,21 Despite this, the greatest benefits were observed in individuals over 75 years of age. Furthermore, dietary changes may be more pronounced in younger people, meaning greater long-term benefits. We did not explicitly consider competing risks. However, healthier food and nutrient policies should also reduce rates of diabetes, common cancers and childhood obesity. Furthermore, we only quantified averted deaths; proportional reductions in non-fatal conditions might reasonably be expected.36 Furthermore, several of our assumptions were tested by means of sensitivity analyses.
Unlike colleagues in the Netherlands and US, we did not model the effect of increasing the intake of nuts, whole grains, sugars, fish or marine omega-3 fatty acids.23,36,37 Promoting United Kingdom fish consumption might pose problems of affordability and sustainability.42 However, even using a complex Markov model, the Dutch results were reassuringly similar: an estimated 21% reduction in cardiovascular events versus our 20%.36 Our calculations only quantified deaths from CVD. Including common cancers might inflate benefits by another fifth, mainly through increased fruit and vegetable intake.3
In conclusion, stricter United Kingdom food policies could substantially and rapidly reduce cardiovascular mortality. Over the past decade, the United Kingdom Government and FSA's voluntary agreements and partnership with industry have resulted in modest dietary improvements.43 However, the current United Kingdom dietary targets are clearly insufficient longer term. Cosy voluntary agreements with the processed food industry generally fail, much like tobacco policies in previous decades.32,44–46 Conversely, countries with healthier food policies (e.g. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) have seen larger drops in major CVD risk factors and correspondingly bigger mortality reductions.8,43,44,47 However, setting tougher United Kingdom dietary targets will require additional regulatory, legislative and fiscal initiatives: evidence-based policy interventions recommended by the British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the World Health Organization (WHO), The World Bank and the United Nations.37 Indeed, both adults and children deserve better protection from the detrimental effects of cheap junk food and sugary drinks.32,40,41,45,46,48,49And a simple first step could be to eliminate industrial trans fats, as done successfully in Denmark and elsewhere.13
MOF received funding from the UK Medical Research Council and from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n°223075 – the MedCHAMPS project. No funding body had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests:
SC was the vice-chair of the NICE PDG on CVD prevention in populations (2009–2010), and is a member of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) prevention and care committee. However, our recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of NICE or the BHF.
- UK National Statistics [Internet]. London: Office for National Statistics; 2012. Available from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE [accessed 4 March 2012].
- Strategy Unit. Food matters: towards a strategy for the 21st century. London: The Cabinet Office; 2008.
- Scarborough P, Nnoaham K, Clarke D, Rayner M. Differences in coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer mortality rates between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: the role of diet and nutrition. BMJ Open 2011; 1: e000263- doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000263 pmid: 22080528.
- Hu FB. Globalization of food patterns and cardiovascular disease risk. Circulation 2008; 118: 1913-4 doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.808493 pmid: 18981311.
- Food Standards Agency [Internet]. Saturated fats. London: FSA; 2012. Available from: http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20100927130941/http://food.gov.uk/healthiereating/satfatenergy/ [accessed 4 March 2012].
- Bates B, Lennox A, Swan G, editors. National Diet Nutrition Survey: headline results for year 1 of the Rolling Programme (2008/2009). London: Food Standards Agency; 2009. Available from: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/ndnsreport0809.pdf [accessed 24 February 2012].
- He FJ, MacGregor GA. A comprehensive review on salt and health and current experience of worldwide salt reduction programmes. J Hum Hypertens 2009; 23: 363-84 doi: 10.1038/jhh.2008.144 pmid: 19110538.
- Laatikainen T, Critchley J, Vartiainen E, Salomaa V, Ketonen M, Capewell S. Explaining the decline in coronary heart disease mortality in Finland between 1982 and 1997. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 162: 764-73 doi: 10.1093/aje/kwi274 pmid: 16150890.
- Appel LJ, OmniHeart Collaborative Research Group. Effects of protein, monounsaturated fat, and carbohydrate intake on blood pressure and serum lipids. JAMA 2005; 294: 2455-64 doi: 10.1001/jama.294.19.2455 pmid: 16287956.
- Mozaffarian D, Stampfer MJ. Removing industrial trans fat from foods. BMJ 2010; 340: c1826- doi: 10.1136/bmj.c1826 pmid: 20395265.
- Food Standards Agency [Internet]. Safer food, better business. Trans fats. London: FSA; 2012. Available from. http://www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating/satfatenergy/transfat [accessed 24 February 2012].
- Lloyd S, Madelin T, Caraher M. Chicken, chips and pizza: fast food outlets in Tower Hamlets report. London: Centre for Food Policy, City University London; 2009.
- Stender S, Dyerberg J, Bysted A, Leth T, Astrup A. A trans world journey. Atheroscler Suppl 2006; 7: 47-52 doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosissup.2006.04.011 pmid: 16713385.
- Pomerleau J, Lock K, McKee M. The burden of cardiovascular disease and cancer attributable to low fruit and vegetable intake in the European Union: differences between old and new Member States. Public Health Nutr 2006; 9: 575-83 doi: 10.1079/PHN2005910 pmid: 16923289.
- Mozaffarian D, Aro A, Willett W. Health effects of trans-fatty acids: experimental and observational evidence. Eur J Clin Nutr 2009; 63: S5-21 doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602973 pmid: 19424218.
- Mozaffarian D, Micha R, Wallace S. Effects on coronary heart disease of increasing polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med 2010; 7: e1000252- doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000252 pmid: 20351774.
- Strazzullo P, D'Elia L, Kandala N, Cappuccio F. Salt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease: meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ 2009; 339: b4567- doi: 10.1136/bmj.b4567 pmid: 19934192.
- Dauchet L, Amouyel P, Hercberg S, Dallongeville J. Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. J Nutr 2006; 136: 2588-93 pmid: 16988131.
- Dauchet L, Amouyel P, Dallongeville J. Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of stroke: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Neurology 2005; 65: 1193-7 doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000180600.09719.53 pmid: 16247045.
- Lewington S, Clarke R, Qizilbash N, Peto R, Collins R, Prospective Studies Collaboration. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet 2002; 360: 1903-13 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11911-8 pmid: 12493255.
- Prospective Studies Collaboration, Lewington S, Whitlock G, Clarke R, Sherliker P, Emberson J, Halsey J, et al., et al. Blood cholesterol and vascular mortality by age, sex, and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of individual data from 61 prospective studies with 55,000 vascular deaths. Lancet 2007; 370: 1829-39 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61778-4 pmid: 18061058.
- Bibbins-Domingo K, Chertow G, Coxson P, Moran A, Lightwood JM, Pletcher MJ, et al., et al. Projected effect of dietary salt reductions on future cardiovascular disease. Stroke 2010; 13: 14-.
- Danaei G, Ding E, Mozaffarian D, Taylor B, Rehm J, Murrray CJ, et al., et al. The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. PLoS Med 2009; 6: e1000058- doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000058 pmid: 19399161.
- Smith-Spangler CM, Juusola JL, Enns EA, Owens DK, Garber AM. Population strategies to decrease sodium intake and the burden of cardiovascular disease. Ann Intern Med 2010; 152: 481-7 pmid: 20194225.
- National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence [Internet]. Prevention of cardiovascular disease at population level. London: NICE; 2010. Available from: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH25 [accessed 4 March 2012].
- Barton P, Andronis L, Briggs A, McPherson K, Capewell S. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cardiovascular disease prevention in whole populations: modelling study. BMJ 2011; 343: d4044- doi: 10.1136/bmj.d4044 pmid: 21798967.
- Europa: gateway to the European Union [Internet]. Policy Areas: Agriculture. Brussels: European Union; 2010. Available from: http://europa.eu/pol/agr/index_en.htm [accessed 24 February 2012].
- Health Canada [Internet]. Trans Fat Monitoring Program. Ottawa: HC; 2009. Available from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/tfa-age_tc-tm-intro-eng.php [accessed 4 March 2012].
- Public Health – Seattle and King County [Internet]. Artificial trans fat. Seattle: King County government; 2010. Available from: http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/nutrition/healthyeating/transfat.aspx [accessed 24 February 2012].
- Food Standards Agency [Internet]. Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey. London: FSA; 2010. Available from: http://www.food.gov.uk/science/dietarysurveys/lidnsbranch/ [accessed 24 February 2012].
- Moreno LA, HELENA Study Group. Assessing, understanding and modifying nutritional status, eating habits and physical activity in European adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study. Public Health Nutr 2008; 11: 288-99 doi: 10.1017/S1368980007000535 pmid: 17617932.
- Brownell KD, Warner K. The perils of ignoring history: big tobacco played dirty and millions died: How similar is big food? Milbank Q 2009; 87: 259-94 doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00555.x pmid: 19298423.
- Lock K, Pomerleau J, Causer L, Altmann DR, McKee M. The global burden of disease attributable to low consumption of fruit and vegetables: implications for the global strategy on diet. Bull World Health Organ 2005; 83: 100-8 pmid: 15744402.
- Lloyd-Williams F, O'Flaherty M, Mwatsama M, Birt C, Ireland R, Capewell S. Estimating the cardiovascular mortality burden attributable to the European Common Agricultural Policy on dietary saturated fats. Bull World Health Organ 2008; 86: 535-41A doi: 10.2471/BLT.08.053728 pmid: 18670665.
- Barendregt JJ, Veerman JL. Categorical versus continuous risk factors and the calculation of potential fractions. J Epidemiol Community Health 2010; 64: 209-12 doi: 10.1136/jech.2009.090274 pmid: 19692711.
- Engelfriet P, Hoekstra J, Hoogenveen R, Büchner F, van Rossum C, Verschuren M. Food and vessels: the importance of a healthy diet to prevent cardiovascular disease. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 2010; 17: 50-5 doi: 10.1097/HJR.0b013e32832f3a76 pmid: 19593150.
- Mozaffarian D, Capewell S. United Nations dietary policies to prevent cardiovascular disease. Modest diet changes could halve the global burden. BMJ 2011; 343: d5747- doi: 10.1136/bmj.d5747 pmid: 21917832.
- Capewell S, O'Flaherty M. Rapid mortality falls after risk factor changes in populations. Lancet 2011; 378: 752-3 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62302-1 pmid: 21414659.
- Zatonski WA, Willett W. Changes in dietary fat and declining coronary heart disease in Poland: population based study. BMJ 2005; 331: 187- doi: 10.1136/bmj.331.7510.187 pmid: 16037448.
- Gilmore AB, Savell E, Collin J. Public health, corporations and the new responsibility deal: promoting partnerships with vectors of disease? J Public Health (Oxf) 2011; 33: 2-4 doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdr008 pmid: 21289060.
- Cohen D. Non communicable diseases: Will industry influence derail UN summit? BMJ 2011; 343: d5328- doi: 10.1136/bmj.d5328 pmid: 21865279.
- Brunner EJ, Jones P, Friel S, Bartley M. Fish, human health and marine ecosystem health: policies in collision. Int J Epidemiol 2009; 38: 93-100 doi: 10.1093/ije/dyn157 pmid: 18676983.
- Scholes S, Bajekal M, Raine R, O'Flaherty M, Capewell S. Socio-economic trends in cardiovascular risk factors in England, 1994–2008. J Epidemiol Community Health 2010; 64: A13- doi: 10.1136/jech.2010.120956.33.
- Aspelund T, Gudnason V, Magnusdottir BT, et al., et al. Why have coronary heart disease mortality rates in Iceland plummeted between 1981 and 2006? Circulation 2009; 119: e348-.
- Koplan JP, Brownell KD. Response of the food and beverage industry to the obesity threat. JAMA 2010; 304: 1487-8 doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1436 pmid: 20924016.
- Evaluation of the European Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. London: The Evaluation Partnership; 2010.
- Björck L, Rosengren A, Bennett K, Lappas G, Capewell S. Modelling the decreasing coronary heart disease mortality in Sweden between 1986 and 2002. Eur Heart J 2009; 30: 1046-56 doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehn554 pmid: 19141562.
- Swinburn B, Sacks G, Lobstein T. The 'Sydney principles' for reducing the commercial promotion of foods and beverages to children. Public Health Nutr 2007; 11: 881-6.
- Capewell S, Graham H. Will cardiovascular disease prevention widen health inequalities? PLoS Med 2010; 7: e1000320- doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000320 pmid: 20811492.


text:
Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer will sit out the first three games of the upcoming season because of an anti-gay comment he made, Talking Points Memo reported.
A pair of Minneapolis attorneys hired by the team to investigate claims of rampant homophobia did not find strong evidence of a hostile work environment, but they did confirm that Priefer made a "single homophobic statement to [former Vikings punter Chris] Kluwe."
The comment: "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows."
The team announced Priefer's three-game suspension on Friday.
The investigation stemmed from Kluwe's release from the team and an article he wrote for Deadspin entitled, "I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot."
In Kluwe's article, Priefer is identified as the "bigot."
Kluwe claimed that he was harassed for his outspoken support of same-sex marriage, that former head coach Leslie Frazier pressured him to stop his public activism for same-sex marriage and that he was cut from the team over the issue.
Priefer has "vehemently den[ied]" Kluwe's claims, and the investigating attorneys determined that it was bad football performance, not his social activism, that lost Kluwe his job.
"We… did not find sufficient evidence to establish that members of the Vikings organization attempted to discourage Kluwe from engaging in marriage equality or equal rights activism or that the Vikings harbored a homophobic hostile work environment," the attorneys stated in their report. "The investigation materials support that the Vikings released Kluwe for football performance reasons and not his views on marriage equality."
Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lyudmila L.wrote a review of Salomon Tactile 2 WP Winter Boot - Women's on January 31, 2012
Salomon Tactile women's
Very lightweight, comfortable, look nice with pants on.
These shoes run half a size large. I tried on several pairs and it was true to all of them. The image of this shoe at Backcountry.com and most other online stores, including Salomon website is the image and videos of the past year's model (2010). Currently available model (2011) resembles the men's version of Tactile, and has oval embroidery / designs on the front of the shoe.


text:
Sometimes you have a vision in your head of the perfect nursery. It's something you've conjured up before your baby was even a twinkle in your eye. Then you get to the website Buy Buy Baby, ready to make your dream a reality, and you are utterly disappointed by the selection. There's nothing there that would even remotely work with your color scheme. It happened to me with my son. Completely fed up with the lack of unique baby bedding at the baby supply stores, I made my own with fabric found at my local craft store. All you need is a sewing machine and minimal knowledge of how to use it. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you.
Choose your fabric.
Pick out your fabric at a craft store. They have rows and rows of selections, so you'll be able to find unique fabric for your baby bedding. You'll need a pre-quilted blanket panel and two yards of a matching fabric for the crib sheet. Also, pick up a package of quilt binding in your color of choice and four feet of elastic.
Finish off the quilt.
Pin the quilt binding in place around the edges of your pre-quilted panel. Stitch all along the edges using a zigzag stitch.
Sew the crib sheet.
Next, it's time to sew the crib sheet. Don't be intimidated — it's easier than it looks. Take your fabric and fold it in half with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. Fold in half again, lengthwise. Take the one corner that doesn't have any folds and cut a 9x9-inch square through all four layers. Open the fabric back up. Bring the top and bottom of the fabric together at one corner, right sides of the fabric together, and pin in place. Repeat on the remaining three corners. Stitch each corner together using a regular stitch. Stitch this seam twice, since you will be pulling these corners over the mattress. Next, fold over one-half inch and sew the entire perimeter. Cut your elastic into four one-foot sections. Find the center of the elastic and pin it to the corner. Using a zigzag stitch, start at the center and pull the elastic while sewing. Then repeat on the other side of the corner. Repeat on the remaining three corners. And that's it! I told you it was easier than it looks.
Have you ever made your own unique baby bedding? Let us know in the comments!
Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons


text:
The wireless communication industry has grown at balanced levels over the past few years, offering investors a great margin for solid investment. The impressive rise of smartphone devices and general data-centric mobile devices provoked an upgrade requisite for new developed networks – like the recent 4G deployments demonstrate.
In this regard, SBA Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:SBAC) generates most of its revenue from wireless tower leasing and line network development assessment to providers. Upgrading conditions are different in the tower leasing sector, which offers investors valuable attributes. Based on long-term contracts and ownership of tower sites, certainty and minimal risk exposure give SBAC a noteworthy economic moat.
New Frontiers
This firm faces some challenges, such as increasing dependency on the top four wireless carriers in the U.S. This could lead to a difficult situation if disruption of spending or leasing occurs. In fact Sprint Corp Series I (NYSE:S), representing 6% of SBAC's revenue, is under great pressure of being decommissioned. Another challenge is the current debt burden and the threat of interest rate increases, which would put our tower player in financial problems.
Nevertheless, SBAC is challenging these obstacles by opening up to new investment opportunities. The benefits of investing abroad and globalization mark the company's path, as seen in new trade agreements with the Brazilian telephone firm Oi SA (OIBR). This new investment adds 15% to the firm's tower portfolio, exceeding the 20,000 sites mark. In addition to these asset investments in a promising emerging country, SBAC has considerable participation in Central America and Puerto Rico.
Stakeholders should take into consideration that the Brazilian agreement isn't superficial in terms of participation levels. It includes SBAC's ownership of assets in a vast emerging market with huge growth prospects.
A View on Financial Status
Although SBAC traditionally bears a considerable debt burden, its cash flow levels and operating margin are not only increasing compared to industry, but also relative to its own historic values. Given the high switching costs carriers have, this sector receives significant moat benefits when operating margins are wide. SBAC shows a positive tendency between its free cash and its operating margin, which are at 15.4%, compared to the 11.21% industry average. At the same time, the firm's revenue growth stands at 18.7% which exceeds the industry median by 92% and its own 10-year historical record. These metrics show a great contrast to debt burden preoccupations.
A quick view of some earning metrics such as EBITDA and EPS shows us a similar tendency. Having an EPS growth of 8% compared to the industry average of -1%, or the 19.9% EBITDA rate, which far exceeds the market's 1.3%, makes me feel quite optimistic regarding expected long-term returns.
Feeling Bullish on Solid Investment
Following some major gurus' investments in SBAC, I would like to highlight Steve Mandel (Trades, Portfolio)'s new buy of almost 5.5 million shares, representing an impact of 2.1% of his firm's portfolio. Another major guru on the scene is George Soros (Trades, Portfolio), which after a timid entrance in 2012 is now owner of almost 1 million shares.
It is clear that SBAC has chosen its international expansion moves carefully and shown concern for shareholder's interests. The firm's tendency to enact share buy-back operations, the easing of interest rates which facilitate debt reductions, and its international expansion, gives stakeholders a wide spectrum of options. Confident by these elemental trends, and the stock's current undervalued price, SBAC has attractive long-term prospects and is a solid investment option.
Disclosure: Vanina Egea holds no position in any stocks mentioned.


text:
Herro Wiihacks community! uhh i just recently joined a few days ago and my friend acestar suggested that i should introduce myself to the site.
Im a big gaming console fan (ps3 and wii wise) idk why xbox but ehhh
The games i like playing for the wii are: SuperSmashbrosBrawl and Call of duty black ops wii.
Currently i don't have a ps3 atm :( but i do enjoy playing ps3 call of duty black ops @ my cousins house and my neighbour :)
So currently imma trying to sell my Wii which is completly softmodded, with some extras to get a ps3 =).
If i sell my wii, id still be playing some games on wii since i can borrow my neighbours wii anytime b/c hes addicted to ps3 xD....
My friend acestar also suggested that i sell my wii on wiihacks since he recently sold his wii on wiihacks so i hope i can sell mines soon!
But in the mean time, illl be playing some of my wii games thoughout the following weeks/months till i sell my wii and equipment.
Add me if u want to play 1 of the following games:
My Brawl Fc:4383-7191-9976
Wii Code: 1873-1851-7252-4619
My Mkw Fc: 3910-6796-8080
Black ops FC: 3843-7319-7350
Add upp ppl :) and greetings wiihack members!


text:
Representative Steve Daines Votes to Prevent Sending More Troops to Iraq
Representative Steve Daines voted Thursday night to prevent more American troops from going to Iraq. Daines's vote reaffirms his statement from earlier in the week that "only Iraqis can secure their future," and his strong opposition to sending more American troops to Iraq.
"I strongly oppose sending more American troops to Iraq and believe only Iraqis can secure their future," Daines said. "Iraqi leadership must address the concerns of their citizens from all sects and ethnicities, and Iraqi Security Forces must fight against al Qaeda-linked forces with urgency and resolve."
Daines also voted for an amendment Thursday pronouncing that the 2002 Authorization to Use Military Force in Iraq does not authorize new military operations in that country and has asked that the President closely consult with Congress and seek necessary authorization as decisions regarding the United States' role in Iraq are made.


text:
Legislators Call for Saving and Strengthening Expiring Rent and Eviction Protections in State Budget
Albany – With critical rent and eviction protection laws set to expire soon, 91 members of the State Senate and Assembly called upon Governor Andrew Cuomo to take immediate and decisive action to extend and strengthen the laws in the State budget, due to be enacted by April 1st. In a letter sent to Governor Cuomo Tuesday and released today, the legislators – representing virtually all of the 2.5 million tenants protected by the laws in New York City, Westchester, and Nassau County – petitioned the Governor, a former federal Housing Secretary, to make housing affordability for middle-class and working New Yorkers a priority in an otherwise bleak budget.
The lawmakers expressed concern that enacting the budget without addressing the expiration of the rent laws will play into the hands of landlords and their allies who routinely seek giveaways that inflict hardship on tenants. Previously when the laws were set to expire, negotiations came down to the final hours before expiration and landlords were able to wield their influence, and the threat of letting the laws lapse entirely, to severely weaken them. The legislators sought to make clear that a repeat of that outcome is not acceptable this year.
As so many middle-class and working New Yorkers are hit hard by the current economic downturn and federal, State, and local budget cuts, the legislators are more committed than ever to undoing the anti-tenant provisions inserted in recent years. In the letter, the lawmakers point out that the most devastating of the loopholes that have eroded the affordable housing stock in recent years has been the "vacancy decontrol" provision that allows landlords to take apartments out of the rent regulation system and charge exorbitant rents. An estimated 300,000 affordable apartments have been lost in this way since this loophole was inserted into the law. The lawmakers say that this loophole in particular must be repealed.
Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh said, "We've seen the displacement of families and the destruction of communities that rapacious landlords and real estate speculators cause when there is lax regulation, not only in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, which I'm privileged to represent, but across New York. We know what needs to be done to stand up for tenants and now is the time to do it."
"There is no better way to illustrate that we are committed to ending Albany's culture of dysfunction than renewing and strengthening our rent laws now, instead of in June when over two million tenants will be frightened for their homes," said Assembly Mitchell-Lama Housing Subcommittee Chair Linda B. Rosenthal. "I appreciate Governor Cuomo's willingness to listen to the priorities of the Assembly Majority conference and affirm his desire to strengthen the Emergency Tenant Protection Act as part of an on-time budget agreement. In a historically challenging fiscal year, strengthening our rent laws and ending the destructive policy of vacancy decontrol that has led to the loss of over 300,000 units of affordable housing is the best method of ensuring there is still a place for the middle class in New York City."
"Raising rents on middle-class and poor families that are already struggling in this tough economy is tantamount to a crushing tax that will drive New Yorkers from their homes," said Senator Adriano Espaillat, Ranking Member on the Senate Housing Committee. "That's why I have introduced legislation strengthening rent control and other crucial regulations that protect tenants and stabilize communities across New York. As elected officials, leaders, and grassroots activists, we stand united in fighting to preserve the millions of homes that might be lost if rent regulations are allowed to expire on June 15th."
"I am proud to stand with such a strong coalition of elected officials in calling for Governor Cuomo to renew and strengthen New York State's Rent Regulation laws as part of the budget process," said Senator Liz Krueger. "In order to ensure that the millions of hardworking low- and middle-income New Yorkers living in rent regulated units are able to remain in their homes, we must immediately close the loopholes that have plagued the rent regulation system for far too long. Families know they cannot push off until tomorrow what they have to do today, and neither should their government."
Senator Daniel Squadron said, "The budget is the last best chance at renewing and improving our rent laws. More than a million New Yorkers depend on rent regulations to keep them in their homes, and New York's neighborhoods depend on the stability that our affordable housing laws provide. We can't risk tenant protections by letting them linger until the frenzied end of the legislation session, when they are on the verge of expiration. We must extend and improve the rent laws by the time the budget is passed, to avoid the devastation and chaos that would result if the laws expired. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that we protect tenants throughout New York."
"It is crucial that we not only renew rent protections law, but that we strengthen them. We must preserve affordable housing for New Yorkers. The current laws favor landlords. It's time we balance the scales and help insure that New Yorkers can afford to stay in our wonderful city," stated Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.


text:
Leonardo Boselli
Not specified
Supported Platforms:
Languages Written In:
Languages Supported:
Graphics APIs:
(1 review)
None (be one!)
APOCALYX is an OpenGL 3D engine with GPL license. The current implementation supports Win98 (or higher) and accelerated 3D graphic cards with OpenGL drivers.
Object-Oriented Design
LUA, SMALL and TinyC
|License Name
|Price in $US
|Source Code Included?
Showing 1-1 of 1
APOCALYX (http://apocalyx.sf.net) is a 3D engine based on OpenGL and other free libraries suitable in particular for the development of Programming Games, the genre of games like GUN-TACTYX (http://guntactyx.gameprog.it) or JROBOTS (http://jrobots.sf.net), where the player programs the AI of his own team of bots to make it fight against teams written by other players.
The engine already includes features such as the rendering of sky boxes, cloud layers, lens flares, flat terrains and height fields even with reflections, infinite terrains, wavy surfaces, sprites, billboards, meshes with diffuse, gloss, environment and bump mapping, particles emitters, planar shadows and shadow volumes, the loading of 3DS and OBJ meshes, the animation of MD2, MD3 and Cal3D models, the loading of BSP levels with collision detection and lightmaps, the support for OpenGL vertex and fragment programs and the support of the GLSL language for vertex and fragment shaders, the spatialization of 3D sound, the management of compressed data and a particle-based physics engine suitable for the simulation of flags, cloths and articulated, soft or rigid bodies.
The engine also includes and provides easy access to libraries such as the ODE physics engine, the ColDet Collision Detector, the Cal3D Animation Library, the LUA scripting language to describe and control the scenes without any recompilation, the Tiny C compiler for fast compilation of C time-critical code and the C Scripting Language for fine control of bots' AI.
Then, to help the development of interesting AI, the engine also uses the MicroPather library (for A* path finding algorithms), the OpenSteer library (for the implementation of steering behaviors) and a library to define and control finite state machines.
Visit the Features page for a more detailed list: http://apocalyx.sf.net/info.php
The engine is completely scripted and no recompilation is needed to create new contents. You must simply program your scripts using the LUA language, or other languages available, and add your media files.
Visit the demos page to see how its easy to program simple games: http://apocalyx.sf.net/demos.php
* OpenGL Support
The engine is based on OpenGL. Version 1.5 is better to access some advanced features, but 1.1 should be supported as well. The renderer uses some common OpenGL extensions to improve the rendering speed, but none of them is really required. Be sure to install the latest OpenGL drivers for your accelerated graphic card: Almost the totality of the problems you can experience with APOCALYX is caused by old drivers.
* GLSL Support
The OpenGL Shading language (GLSL) is fully supported. Almost every kind of object that appear on the scene may be rendered with vertex and fragment programs or the more advanced vertex and fragment shaders. When the graphic card does not support those features, multi-pass meshes with diffuse, gloss, environment and bump mapping is still possible.
* Skies and Cloud Layers
The engine includes methods to render skies and cloud layers. Sky Boxes, Half Sky Boxes, Mirrored Sky Boxes, dynamic Sky Domes and Starfields are available. Several backgrounds may be attached to the world at the same time specifying the required blending and orientation.
* Lens Flares
The engine supports sun lens flares to improve the realism of outdoor scenes. This effect takes into account any occlusion, that prevents the sun to be seen by the camera, reading the Z buffer, so there is non need of particular object management to show or hide the lens flare.
* Flat Terrains
The engine renders a simple kind of flat terrain. It can be opaque, transparent or reflective and animated textures may be attached to it.
* Height Field Terrains
The engine includes also a more realistic kind of terrain realized through the use of height fields. The heights are defined using grayscale images. The applied textures are two: A large one that specify the color (including shadows) of the complete surface and a detailed one that is tiled. Height fields may increase their transparency downwards and a plane can trim the lowest triangles to create mirrored surfaces. A simple level of detail (LOD) is implemented.
* Infinite Terrains
The engine even includes a kind of terrain larger than height fields. Its pattern is repeated to fill a virtual infinite world. The heights are again defined using grayscale images with two applied textures perturbed by noise (two levels of detail for the terrain surface) and a color grid to specify overall color and shadowing.
* Wavy Surfaces
The engine support a particular kind of terrain that simulates the presence of ocean waves. The renderer uses a technique based on FFT to compute the waves in a fast and realistic way.
* Overlay with Multiple Viewports
An overlay is superimposed to the window opened on the main 3D world. The overlay can render texts, sprites and other 2D objects including viewports showing 3D worlds different from the main one.
* Scene Graph
The engine adds all the objects to be rendered to the a scene graph and orders them according to their distance from the camera. The ordering is important to render opaque and transparent objects in a fast and safe way. When a BSP level is loaded, objects are rendered according their position in the BSP tree for optimal performances.
* Hierarchic Objects
The engine includes the possibility to render objects linked to each other. The definition of a hierarchy makes possible the articulation of complex movements. In particular MD3 and Cal3D skeletal models provide support for easy animation.
* Textures Types The engine defines different types of texture, in particular collection of textures, that can be easily animated, and cube maps.
* Materials Management
The engine defines the properties of different materials. You can specify ambient, diffuse, emissive and specular colors, and diffuse (texture for the diffuse color), gloss (texture that specify the reflection properties of the surface), environment (texture that reflects the environment around the mesh) and bump (texture that defines the bumpiness of the surface) mappings. In alternative, more complex programmable materials can be defined through the use of vertex and fragment program or GLSL vertex and fragment shaders.
* Bumped Materials
As a heritage of the past, the engine supports also a basic form of bump mapping called emboss bump mapping. It is not a very realistic technique but it is fast on slower graphics card. The bumpiness is computed taking into account the nearest light source.
* Sprites & Billboards
The engine renders couple of textured triangles is several ways according to their position in front of the camera. There are sprites, that always face the camera, and billboards that always face the camera rotating around a fixed axis. A praticular type of billboard, the tree, adds a streching movement to simulate wind effects.
* Particle System
The engine includes a particle system. The main interpolated parameters of this system are: speed, acceleration, color, transparency and size, plus a circular movement for particular effects. A texture, even animated, the life length and a speed random factor are other parameters that can be specified.
* 3DS and OBJ Models Loader
The engine includes a loader of 3DS and OBJ files and converts them to static meshes.
* MD2 Models Loader and Animator
The engine includes obviously a loader of MD2 files (Quake2 animated models format) and can animate them.
* MD3 Models Loader and Animator
The engine includes also a loader of MD3 files (Quake3 animated models format) and can animate them. Animation can be played even in reverse order.
* Cal3D Models Loader and Animator
The engine supports skeletal animated models in Cal3D format thanks to the Character Animation Library included.
* Planar Shadows
The engine renders planar shadows generated by a directional light shining on meshes and animated models.
* BSP Levels Loader
The engine includes in addition a loader of BSP files (Quake3 levels format). The Quake3 shaders and the animated meshes of the scenes are not supported, but visibility information, light maps, light volumes, transparent textures and the bsp-tree collisions are.
* Particle-Based Physics Simulator
The engine supports a particle based physics engine suitable for the simulation of flags, cloths, articulated, soft or rigid bodies.
* ODE Physics Simulator
The engine supports a more traditional physics engine suitable for the simulation of articulated rigid bodies thanks to the Open Dynamics Engine included.
* Collision Detection
The engine detects collision between meshes thanks to the ColDet collision detection library.
* 3D math
The engine includes basic functions that perform 3D math computations.
* LUA Scripts
The engine supports the LUA language (version 5.0) through an interface that expose all the most important functions of the engine. The LUA interface is the main way to access the engine functionalities, so no recompilation is needed to produce demos, games or 3D applications.
* C Compiler
The engine includes the Tiny C compiler. It performs a very fast compilation of ANSI C sources, so time critical code can be loaded and compiled on the fly for fast execution just like a script is loaded and then more slowly interpreted.
* FASM Support
In the speed of compiled C code or the instructions of the Tiny C inline assembler are not enough, the engine can load ELF object modules written with the flat assembler, a fast assembler with interesting features.
* Scripting Languages
The engine supports also the C Scripting Language (CSL), the AngelScript language and the SMALL language. The latter manages the allocated memory and run step by step the scripts for a fine control of the execution. This features makes the development of Programming Games very easy. In particular, the bots' AI can access the properties of the world in a fair way and matches that involve several teams can be replayed with the same exact results providing only the original seed for random numbers generation.
* Scripts Console
The engine includes a console from which it's very easy to compile, execute and read the output of LUA scripts.
* Path Finding
The MicroPather library is included to provide easy access to path finding using the A* algorithm.
* Steering Behaviors
The OperSpeer library is provided to implement steering and flocking behaviors .
* Finite State Machines
The engine includes a mechanism to define and control Finite State Machines.
* 3D Sound
Thanks to OpenAL, spatialized 3D sound is supported. The engine adds the capability to select the sounds to be played according to their loudness and distance from the listener. OpenAL supports also the functions to perform sound capture.
In alternative, a version of the engine based on FMOD is available on request.
* Music
MIDI soundtracks and MP3 playback are supported.
* Compressed Data Management
Thanks to ZLIB, the engine reads data from ZIP files.
* JPG, PNG, TGA Image Loader
Thanks to JPEGlib and PNGlib, the engine reads JPEG, PNG and TGA images from which several kind of textures can be created.
* Completed Projects
Demos apart, a complete game is based on APOCALYX: The GUN-TACTYX Programming Game, a CROBOTS-like game with QUAKE3-style graphics.
Are your the owner of this engine? Let us know to be able to update it, and reply to reviews, and other benefits.


text:
UMM Preview
A preview of public events at the University of Minnesota, Morris and elsewhere.
Festival of Spanish Language Cinema
The Spanish Discipline is bringing quality films from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Spain to west central Minnesota for the benefit and enjoyment of the campus and community at no charge. The third film, La teta asustada/The Milk of Sorrow, will be screened on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m and 7 p.m. The campus and public are invited to the free films, with English subtitles, in the Morris Theatre at 12 East Sixth Street.
CAC Films Presents: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
On Monday, Oct. 31, the Campus Activities Council (CAC) will be showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 11:55 p.m. in the Student Center's Edson Auditorium. The film is free and open to the public.
The Celluloid Closet viewing
E-Quality will have a public film viewing of The Celluloid Closet on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in Imholte Hall 109.
Piano Recital
Theresse Sutula performs on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Festival of the Winds Chamber Concert
The Chamber Winds will perform on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. in the Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Festival of the Winds Large Ensemble Concert
The Winds Ensemble will perform on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. in the Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Unusual Suspects Improv Show
Unusual Suspects will perform an Improv Show on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 9 until 11 p.m. in the Humanities Fine Arts Blackbox Theatre.


text:
Hellgate London - Open Letter
The Hellgate: London team has posted this open letter on their forums:
From the contents of this letter it seems to me that contrary to what FS had been saying, the retail version indeed suffers from the very same and, admittedly, terribly annoying glitches/errors as the beta did (which I tested so I have first-hand experience on the above issues). Ain't that a shame.
I admit that during my college years I was playing Diablo II heavily. Those were the days. :) During last summer I tried Titan Quest and boy, I even managed to finish the damn thing. And I realized that hack'n'slash are not for me anymore. Just like FPS. Looks like I am getting mature at last ;). No, not old, you bastards! :P Anyway, I canceled my pre-orders for Hellgate and Crysis, played both demos recently just to see if it was a smart move. It was. No hurt feelings at all. Luckily I didn't cancel my The Witcher pre-order accidentally so am having a very good time at nights now :).
Ive played FPS since the first wolfenstain 3D. And I still find new mindless FPS like crysis fun to play. I guess I will never become mature.. :..(
Hey guys, I was joking with "mature" thing, ok? :) I like to smash someone's head over the wall from time to time too :).
I played three games where I got scared - Doom or Doom II, can't recall, damn flashing broken light and incoming demon from the shadows :); Clive Barker's Undying - same sympthom, no light, mirror on a wall, thunderbolt outside window and my image in the mirror scarring hell out of me :D; and last but not least - Marine campaign in Alien Predator played on Director's Cut difficulty level - damn, I was almost wetting my pants… :)
Painkiller was awsome. I loved the magic cards you could get for finishing the level a certain way. Mindless FPS are nice everynow and then but I'm with Crolug in that after finishing Titan quest I couldn't play it again like I used to for Diablo. Oh well, I hope Hellgate is at least more interesting than Titan.
I thought Painkiller was just ok, if you really want the best of that type of shooter then you can't beat Serious Sam episodes 1&2.
How exactly?
|All times are GMT +2. The time now is 08:05.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright by RPGWatch


text:
The parent company of online global gambling giant PokerStars went to court Monday to try to salvage its purchase of the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel — and in doing so, revealed it is looking to acquire the property for a record low price.
The Rational Group has proposed buying the Atlantic Club for just $15 million, the company disclosed in a state Superior Court lawsuit filed Monday. It was the first time the purchase price has been made public.
Shortly after the Rational Group filed suit, a Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the Atlantic Club from selling itself to anyone else. Judge Raymond Batten scheduled a May 17 hearing on whether to make the restraining order permanent.
"This step has been taken to protect Rational Group's rights and interests under the purchase agreement and reflects the group's desire to complete the acquisition of the Atlantic Club," company spokesman Eric Hollreiser said in a statement.
Atlantic Club spokeswoman Cathleen Kiernan declined to comment on the legal battle.
Atlantic Club's $15 million price tag would be the lowest amount ever paid for an Atlantic City casino. Previously, the California-based Meruelo Group had offered to buy Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino for $20 million, but that deal fell through last month.
Casino prices have tumbled in recent years amid the city's real estate slump. Resorts Casino Hotel was sold for just $31.5 million in 2010. The old Trump Marina Hotel Casino, since rebranded as Golden Nugget Atlantic City, went for $38 million in 2011.
The Atlantic Club sale, if it goes through, would set an even lower standard. But first, the Rational Group has to reach final agreement with a casino that walked away from their apparent deal last week for undisclosed reasons.
In the suit, Rational Group said it has paid more than $11 million toward the total $15 million purchase price. The Rational Group also claims that the Atlantic Club's owners are now seeking an additional $4 million termination fee for ending the deal.
"Should Rational comply with this demand, Rational would have paid the entire purchase price and received exactly nothing in return," the company said in its court papers.
The Rational Group also alleges that Atlantic Club's owners are demanding an additional $6 million payment to extend the sale talks for 10 more days. However, the Atlantic Club would be free to negotiate with other potential buyers during that period, according to the lawsuit.
"The circumstances of the termination and the outrageous nature of the terms of the extension demonstrate that the defendants have breached the contract and the duty of good faith and fair dealing," the suit says.
Rational Group's papers also indicate that the company has helped to keep the casino afloat. Atlantic Club's owners, the suit said, warned of a "difficult financial situation" stemming from more than $30 million in unfunded pension liabilities.
"The Rational Group has funded Atlantic Club shortfalls throughout the winter season since October 2012, preventing its bankruptcy and the loss of over 1,800 jobs," Hollreiser said.
According to the suit, the Rational Group agreed to cover the Atlantic Club's operating shortfalls — up to $750,000 per week — as an additional advance payment toward the purchase price.
Atlantic Club suffered a $19.2 million gross operating loss in 2012, following a nearly $20 million loss in 2011. So far this year, the casino is showing signs of a recovery. Its gambling revenue is up a combined 24 percent through the first three months of 2013, including an industry-leading 33 percent increase in March.
Atlantic Club and the Rational Group originally announced in January they had reached a deal for undisclosed terms. However, the sale unraveled amid the Rational Group's delay in getting regulatory approval to take over the casino.
Michael Frawley, Atlantic Club's chief operating officer, issued a statement last Wednesday saying that the casino's purchase agreement with PokerStars "had been terminated in accordance with its terms." Frawley did not elaborate. The casino has declined to comment beyond Frawley's statement.
Based on the Isle of Man, the Rational Group is trying to become the first online gambling company to buy a land-based U.S. casino. The Atlantic Club deal would allow the company's PokerStars affiliate, the world's largest poker website, to capitalize on New Jersey's new Internet gambling law.
PokerStars' involvement in the deal has been controversial from the start. The American Gaming Association, the national trade group representing the casino industry, has called PokerStars a "criminal enterprise." Arguing against the sale, the AGA had applied to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission to participate in the Rational Group's licensing hearing to buy the Atlantic Club.
The Rational Group has strongly denied the AGA's allegation that PokerStars acted illegally. Last year, PokerStars agreed to pay $731 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit that included charges of money laundering, bank fraud and illegal gambling. The company admitted no guilt or wrongdoing in the settlement.
PokerStars' plan for using the Atlantic Club as a platform for Internet gambling has been jeopardized by the sale dispute. Starting Nov. 26, Atantic City casinos may offer online wagering on their slot machines and table games.
The value of the Atlantic Club is in its potential as a hub for Internet gambling. The Atlantic Club deal would be PokerStars' first foray into the burgeoning U.S. Internet gambling market. In New Jersey, Internet wagering is expected to provide a huge boost for the Atlantic City casinos, with revenue estimates ranging anywhere from $200 million to $2 billion annually.
The Atlantic Club has been owned since 2005 by Resorts International Holdings, an affiliate of the California-based private real-estate investment firm Colony Capital LLC.
Rational Group would pay a fraction of what Colony paid for the Atlantic Club, formerly called the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort. The then-Hilton was valued at $513 million when it was acquired by Colony in 2005 as part of a $1.24 billion deal for four casinos in New Jersey, Mississippi and Indiana.
Contact Donald Wittkowski:


text: Goal: Johnson taps in from Evans August 18, 20128:12AM PDTMajor League Soccer Previous Next Goal! Seattle Sounders FC 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 0. Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC) left footed shot from very close range to the top left corner. Assisted by Brad Evans and Ozzie Alonso following a fast break.Topics: Brad EvansOsvaldo AlonsoHighlights Previous Next


text: > once upon a time, i suggested having more than one level of module> "quality". at the moment, some kernel code is marked as "EXPERIMENTAL"=> ,> but this is supported via a regular dependency when it doesn't really> qualify as a dependency. dependencies are typically used to refer to> dependencies on other *code*, not some abstract level of goodness> like "EXPERIMENTAL".>> perhaps it's time to add another category with values like OBSOLETE,> DEPRECATED, EXPERIMENTAL, BROKEN(?) and so on. by default, the> quality would be regular, or something like that._NO_!!!This is a _bad thing_, if a distribution wants to do it to their tree,fine, but why add extra layers of complexity that a lot of devlopersdon't care about just so that the source tree 'looks nice'? It'sabsolutely pointless, and irritating for anybody actually trying towork on the codebase.> and in the end, while i know some folks don't think it's a big> deal, i think doing a "make allyesconfig" really should work.It's _counter productive_ just to bodge it so that make allyesconfigworks. I _want_ it to _fail_ if the drivers are _broken_.A CONFIG_KNOWN_BROKEN option is a good thing, in the case where,E.G. a SCSI driver is broken, and will randomly corrupt data, butotherwise compiles and appears to work. Apart from that, it's acomplete waste of time to fiddle around with silly options that donothing but bloat the codebase and waste developers' time.John.-To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" inthe body of a message to firstname.lastname@example.com majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.htmlPlease read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/


text:
Path of Exile - Chris Wilson Interview @ Games On Net
Games On Net talked to Chris Wilson, the designer and producer for this game. In the interview they talk about the skill tree, post-launch content, his reaction to the competition's offering, the recently announced Act 3, and much much more.
A quote about the level structure:
GON: How does that affect your level structure? You've already got a skill tree – or should I say a skill forest – that many users find terrifying. In a good way, obviously. How do you balance that and keep adding expansions? Chris: So the endgame that we have is somewhat separate from the actual act content — we have these randomised map areas, which is a separate topic I guess, but in terms of balancing the levelling it's actually a very difficult question adding in another because, when people have established characters, where do the levels fit in?
A quote in how potions work in the game:
GON: Can you give me an example of that?
Chris: A good example of that is the potion system. In a lot of ARPG's, Titan Quest, Torchlight, you buy a ton of potions and every time you're hurt you drink one and it's just a big homogenous stack. In Path of Exile your potions are in set flasks that are actually items that you have to upgrade, and they can be used multiple times, and they become part of your build. If you want a flask that extinguishes fire if you've ever been ignited, then that's part of the way you build your character rather than just a number of potions you bought from the shop last time you were in town.
Source: GameBanshee
Information aboutPath of Exile
SP/MP: Massive
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: Hack & Slash
Platform: PC
Release: Released


text:
Join for FREE, and start talking with other members, weighing in on community discussions, and more.
Also, by registering and logging in you'll see fewer ads and pesky welcome messages (like this one!)
How does NYUs per student endowment compare to other institutions?
Not well:
Princeton: $2.2 million per student
Yale: $2 million per student
Harvard: $1.7 million per student
Columbia: $328,000 per student
NYU: $62,053 per student
Among 785 institutions that participated in a recent survey, NYU ranks 31st in terms of its overall endowment. Based on its endowment value per student, NYU ranks 202nd.