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File:Newspaper.gif Items on this page relate to current events. Anything here may be inaccurate or out-of-date due to unfolding events.
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- Rockstar Games has announced Grand Theft Auto V on their website, and also announced the first trailer is going to be released on November 2nd 2011.
- Rockstar Games has announced that a 10th Anniversary edition of Grand Theft Auto III that will be available on select iOS and Android devices in the fall of 2011. Additionally a limited edition action figure of GTAIII protagonist Claude has been made available for pre-order.
- Stuntman Declan Mulvey recently added motion capture work for Grand Theft Auto V to his resume, as well as other Rockstar Games titles Max Payne 3. Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Manhunt 2. He later stated the addition was a typo, claiming to be Grand Theft Auto IV although he is not credited for work in the game or its episodic content.
- The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, which includes GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas, is now available for the Mac.
- Amazon.com has listed Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, which includes Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes From Liberty City.
- Rockstar Games announced Chinatown Wars HD, an upgraded version of the iPhone port of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, to be released on September 9th on the iPad.
- Rockstar Games announced and released Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Lite, a free demo including the first three missions of the full game for the iPhone and iPod Touch on the App Store.
- The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony are available on PlayStation Network and Games for Windows - LIVE. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for PlayStation 3 and PC is now available in stores.
- Grand Theft Auto IV update version 1.06 has been released for PS3 and patch 18.104.22.168 has been released for the PC. Trophies for The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony have been added.
- Peking Duck Hunt mini-game is now available to play in the Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars section of Rockstar Games Social Club.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the PlayStation Portable is released on October 20 in North America, October 23 in Europe, and October 28 in Australia.
- Grand Theft Auto IV has entered the Xbox 360's Platinum range, lowering its price significantly.
- The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy is being developed for the Mac.
- The Ballad of Gay Tony is released in the XBOX LIVE Marketplace for 1600 Microsoft Points. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is available in stores.
- Four years on, Rockstar have finally settled the Hot Coffee lawsuit to the tune of twenty million US dollars.
- Rockstar has announced that the American release date for Episodes From Liberty City for PlayStation 3 and PC is now April 13th and the European release is now April 16th.
- Rockstar has announced that GTA IV downloadable Episodes From Liberty City will be released for the PlayStation 3 and PC platforms
on 30 March 2010.
- On November 10, 2009, the fifth patch (220.127.116.11) was released for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. This update includes general fixes to controls and security and ready for a possible DLC on the PC. It also includes versions in other languages, which explains the change in the order of the version number.
- Rockstar have announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be coming to Apple's iPhone.
- On 7 October 2009 at 1 PM EDT, Rockstar released the second trailer for Episodes From Liberty City.
- The official website of The Ballad of Gay Tony is updated to include new screenshots, videos, and details about multiplayer and the nightlife.
- The Ballad of Gay Tony debut trailer is released!
- The Ballad of Gay Tony will be coming to Xbox Live on October 29th 2009, and will cost $19.99 according to a Rockstar press release. At the same time, Episodes from Liberty City, a disc version comprising The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony will go on sale, costing $39.99
- On 19 June 2009, the fourth patch (220.127.116.11) was released for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. This update ensures all copies of the game are properly aligned for the next gold master build pressing.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be released on Sony's PSP on October 20th 2009. There is no detail yet on pricing or transition from Nintendo's DS.
- Mr Wong's Laundromat now open in the Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars section in Rockstar Games Social Club.
- On 24 April 2009, Rockstar provided a link to an update for Games for Windows Live.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been released in the United States of America on 17 March 2009 and Europe on 20 March 2009.
- The Lost and Damned, the first downloadable episode for GTA IV has been released for download through Xbox Live on 17 February 2009. It costs $19.99 or 1600 Microsoft Points, and is exclusive to the Xbox 360.
- It has been announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will this fall be coming to Sony's PSP gaming platform.
- Rockstar announces the Social Club Jams Contest. Craft your own music video with the Video Editor and upload them at Rockstar Social Club.
- Rockstar have announced GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, the second episode of downloadable content for GTA IV for the Xbox 360, due for release in late 2009. Both The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned (the first DLC pack for GTA IV) will also be included on a single disk called GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City.
- On 19 March 2009, the third patch (188.8.131.52) was released for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. It fixes many performance and graphical issues as well as correcting issues created by the first and second patches.
- Rockstar Games have decided on iTunes as their musical partner for The Lost and Damned, rather than Amazon.com, used for the main Grand Theft Auto IV game.
- It is rumored that the second piece of DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV will feature Dominican-American street gangster Luis Fernando Lopez.
- Rockstar have announced via their Twitter that details of the second piece of DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV will be released "soon".
- Rockstar Games have released the official trailer for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
- On 1 May 2009, an unlockable bulletproof Hellenbach will be available to download for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars through Rockstar Games Social Club.
- On 24 January 2009, another patch (126.96.36.199) was released for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. It fixes many performance and graphical issues as well as correcting issues created by the first patch.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS will be released on March 17th and 20th in the USA and Europe respectively.
- Next week Rockstar Games will release the first ever trailer for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars with gameplay.
- The Lost and Damned, the first downloadable episode for GTA IV will be available for download on February 17th 2009, and will cost $19.99 or 1600 Microsoft Points, exclusively for the Xbox 360 version.
- Grand Theft Auto IV's downloadable content for the Xbox 360 has been revealed as The Lost and Damned. The pack will feature a separate storyline, with Johnny Klebitz, of The Lost Brother Hood biker gang, as the protagonist. It will also feature new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, and music; and is set to be released in February 2009.
- Rockstar Games have released a patch for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV, fixing many of the technical issues present for a large number of gamers.
- GTA IV has been released for PC, however there have been a number of technical issues with the game.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS has been delayed, and is expected to be released before April 2009
- Rockstar Games has formally announced that Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC has been delayed and will be released on 2nd December in the USA, and 3rd December in Europe.
- Thailand's largest video game distributor, New Era Interactive Media has told the country's retailers to stop selling Grand Theft Auto IV after an eighteen year old man confessed to robbing and killing a fifty-four year old taxi driver because he "wanted money to play the game." He admitted that "he wanted to find out if it was as easy to rob a taxi in real life as it was in the game." Read an article on the BBC website for more information.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been announced for the Nintendo DS, to be released in late 2008. The game, by Rockstar Leeds will focus on the Triads in Chinatown in Liberty City.
- Episodic content, available exclusively for the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live, is due to be released in Q1 of Take-Two's 2009 fiscal year (between November 1st, 2008 and January 31st, 2009)
- Grand Theft Auto IV sold 6 million copies in its first week, worth $500m - a new record for the entire entertainment industry. It is also the #1 played game on Xbox Live, with 2.3m players last week. Check out the statistics on Grand Theft Auto IV.
- Grand Theft Auto IV has been released in stores.
- Rockstar Games has announced the release date of Grand Theft Auto IV as 29 April 2008 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
- Grand Theft Auto III, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas are now available via Valve's Steam game-download service. Also available from Rockstar is Max Payne 1 and 2, Manhunt and Midnight Club 2. Individual games are priced between $13.95 and $22.95, but two bundles are also available: the Grand Theft Auto Collection ($43.45 - GTA 1, GTA 2, GTA III, GTAVC, GTASA) and the Rockstar Collection ($69.95 - all of the above).
- Move Up, Ladies, the third trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV has been released.
- The official box art for Grand Theft Auto IV has been unveiled, and the date for the third trailer, "Move up, ladies", has been announced as 6th December.
- Grand Theft Wiki will soon be merging with the English GTA Wikia, to form one huge GTA wiki. More details at Talk:Community Portal.
- More details have been released about GTA IV, including that it will be set in October 2007 (the initial planned release date), multiple missions can be conducted at one time (managed from Niko's phone), pedestrians can cough/sneeze/smoke/mutter, and the Xbox 360 version of the game is 80% complete at this time.
- A press release from Rockstar Games issued on 2nd August 2007 stated that Grand Theft Auto IV will be delayed. The game is now scheduled for release in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, which indicates somewhere between February and April.
- More details have been revealed about Grand Theft Auto IV, despite Rockstar Games' position that they don't want to sell the game as a feature list, rather an overall experience. There appear to be multiple ways of completing missions, as outlined by multiple possible endings. There are no HUD indicators to specify who is the target - that must be figured out by the player. Multiplayer is accessed through Niko's phone. Cover can be used much like Gears of War. Protagonist Niko Bellic was in the Balkan Police Force, according to his CV (Resumé), and he is adept at shooting, boxing and swimming (which is also a confirmed feature). Also, there will be no references to 9/11 in the game.
- Rockstar Games have launched an online competition where members of the public can ring WKTT Radio on 212-360-2368 to leave a message about what they think is "wrong with Liberty City, America, Liberals or your health" and it could be featured in the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto IV. See more details at WKTT Radio.com
- The second trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV, entitled "Looking for that Special Someone" has gone live on Rockstar's site, Yahoo Games and YouTube. The trailer shows more gameplay and animation; including speech, driving and weapons fire. Some of the new effects include Niko holding onto the back of a truck, and hanging from the skids of a helicopter.
- The July issue of Official Xbox Magazine in the USA has revealed that when Niko approaches a car from behind in Grand Theft Auto IV, a prompt appears saying "Press LB to open boot" (which means trunk in American). Perhaps this feature could be used for carrying items or even stowing away passengers.
- UK publication Playstation 3 Unlimited has a new preview of Grand Theft Auto IV, revealing a little bit more information. There are about four different camera angles in the game, including a first-person view in vehicles, where the player can look around. Weather effects aren't merely for show, they will affect gameplay (such as vehicle handling).
- Rockstar Games announced that a "special edition" of Grand Theft Auto IV will be made available for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. The special edition includes a little more than "special editions" usually offer, including exclusive production artwork, exclusive soundtrack CD, presented in a metal GTA safety deposit box with a keychain (for the keys) and a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag. This will cost $90 in the USA.
- The official PlayStation Magazine UK has revealed a few more things about Grand Theft Auto IV, including details of the technical enhancements, gameplay improvements and mission structure. Visit GTA IV to read more about this.
- The May 2007 Game Informer magazine has been released to subscribers with an exclusive preview of Grand Theft Auto IV. It has been revealed that the playable protagonist character's name will be: Niko Bellic, the game is set in Liberty City which will be smaller than San Andreas but have less "wasted" open space, and since there is only one city there will be no planes in the game, as there is nowhere to go. The detail will be immense compared to previous games, with effects such as a rising sun casting shadows and reflecting off glass, potholes in the road and pedestrians with interchanging clothes, hair and actions. Read more at GTA IV
- Rockstar Games have just released the first official trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV [1]. From this trailer it can be seen that the game is set (at least partially) in Liberty City (based on New York), similar to GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories. Also, powerful new graphics can be seen in action
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The Big Bang Theory topped the third annual Critics' Choice Television Awards Monday.
In addition to the show's Best Comedy Series victory, The Big Bang Theory stars Simon Helberg and Kaley Cuoco also won acting awards for their supporting turns. Cuoco tied with Eden Sher of The Middle.
Bones and more shows you're giving up on next season
Breaking Bad tied with Game of Thrones for Best Drama Series, with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston winning Best Actor in a Drama.
Check out the full list of winners below.
Add new fall shows to your watchlist
Drama Series: Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad
Actor in a Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Actress in a Drama Series: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Michael Cudlitz, Southland
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Monica Potter, Parenthood
Guest Performer in a Drama Series: Jane Fonda, The Newsroom
Comedy Series: The Big Bang Theory
Actor in a Comedy Series: Louis C.K., Louie
Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory; and Eden Sher, The Middle
Guest Performer in a Comedy Series: Patton Oswalt, Parks and Recreation
Reality Series: Duck Dynasty and Push Girls
Reality Series Competition: The Voice
Best Reality Show Host: Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Talk Show: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Animated Series: Archer
Movie/Miniseries: Behind the Candelabra
Actor in a Movie/Miniseries: Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Actress in a Movie/Miniseries: Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries: Zachary Quinto, American Horror Story: Asylum
Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries: Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Reliable Shredding Technology for Organic Waste - Waste and Recycling
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Snowball Express departs from Orlando
1,700 families to visit Dallas
Hundreds of families traveled to Texas Friday.
The Snowball Express left Orlando International Airport at 7:15 a.m. to help the families celebrate the holidays.
American Airlines and American Eagle are flying 1,700 children and spouses of fallen military members to Dallas.
"I mean the holidays are always hard, but it's hard for my sister the most," said Ashley Dorazio.
The kids will take part in a tree-lighting celebration, visit Six Flags Over Texas and more.
The Snowball Express seeks to make the season a joyful time of year.
"I can't believe how many people are involved who give up their time and energy who put it all together for everyone to have such a great time," said Corey Shanaberger. "It's great."
The Snowball Express is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization.


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This exercise helps develop a better shoulder plane and more stable posture during the swing.
Get in a good 5-iron golf posture with your arms crossed over your shoulders.
While trying to limit your lower body from moving, take a full backswing keeping your shoulder plane from flattening out at the top.
From here, return to the impact position, once again with little lower body motion.
Finally, rotate your whole body through to the finish; once again maintaining a good stable posture and shoulder plane throughout.
Subscribe to ProGolfFitness channel and stay up to date on golf fitness videos.


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30 November 2009
SaigonSaigon: Vietnamese, Glebe (29 Nov 2009)
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6 comments:
- YaYa said...
Lucky you! The decor looks great, looking forward to trying these dishes too!
- December 1, 2009 at 11:00 AM
- the happy blogger said...
What beautiful shots, the decor and food look sensational!
- December 1, 2009 at 9:32 PM
- Forager said...
Mmm, the food looks pretty good and reasonably priced for Vietnamese near the city! Will have to try it when I'm out near Glebe next
- December 2, 2009 at 3:19 PM
- joey@forkingaroundsydney said...
Wow, what great tony decor! Food looks good too. Thanks for the review.
- December 2, 2009 at 9:16 PM
- Simon Leong said...
hi yaya, i'd definitely recommend the banana fritters for dessert :-)
hi the happy blogger, it's a nice place to dine and share some dishes
hi forager, it's about the same price as Thanh Binh in Newtown I guess. there's not much choice for Vietnamese around the city so they have a bit of a niche market going at the moment i think for Glebe.
hi joey, all the lanterns and rice paddy hats were made and brought over from Vietnam including the wrought iron work for the mirrored divider. goes all together really well :-)
- December 2, 2009 at 10:40 PM
- Unknown said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 15, 2010 at 8:35 PM
Simon Food Favourites Map
Small Bars in Sydney map
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First of all, I've used pf extensively on OpenBSD so I know its rule set quite well. Even though I'm more used to the more recent versions.
However, I would like to know if there is a simpler way to regulate network access to launchd, or more specifically afp.
I tried putting ALL: ALL (or launchd: ALL and other combinations) into /etc/hosts.deny but I don't think launchd uses these files at all. Can someone please confirm this? hosts_options(5) shows extensions made to it, by Apple perhaps, yet I can't figure out how to reload launchd to use these files.
My solution right now is to block all connections to port port 548 and then only allow my home computers. To do this I've modified /etc/pf.conf as follows, added the last line.
# Default PF configuration file.
# This file contains the main ruleset, which gets automatically loaded
# at startup. PF will not be automatically enabled, however. Instead,
# each component which utilizes PF is responsible for enabling and disabling
# PF via -E and -X as documented in pfctl(8). That will ensure that PF
# is disabled only when the last enable reference is released.
# Care must be taken to ensure that the main ruleset does not get flushed,
# as the nested anchors rely on the anchor point defined here.
# See pf.conf(5) for syntax.
# com.apple anchor point
nat-anchor "com.apple/*"
rdr-anchor "com.apple/*"
anchor "com.apple/*"
load anchor "com.apple" from "/etc/pf.anchors/com.apple"
include "/etc/pf.userrules"
And in /etc/pf.userrules which is my own creation that might get overwritten at the next Apple update.
block in inet proto tcp from any to port 548
pass in inet proto tcp from { 10.10.10.11, 10.10.10.12 } to port 548
This works, but I wish I could uses the hosts access files.


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Rockies ice Mets in finale of frigid series
Recommended Video:
DENVER (AP) -- It was 28 degrees when Jon Garland threw the first pitch Thursday, and he worked seven solid innings to give the Colorado Rockies an 11-3 win over the New York Mets in the wrap-up of a wintry series at Coors Field.
The crowd was announced at 18,341 as the Rockies matched a team record for the coldest home start. A game against the Montreal Expos on April 12, 1997, was played in a similarly frigid conditions.
A pair of Mets-Rockies games in the previous three days were postponed because of heavy snow.
Garland (2-0) allowed two runs and six hits. He walked none and struck out four.
Troy Tulowitzki homered and hit a go-ahead single. Dexter Fowler and Josh Rutledge also hit home runs as the Rockies won their sixth straight home game.
Eric Young Jr. and Carlos Gonzalez added three hits apiece for Colorado.
Up 3-2 after Tulowitzki singled off Jonathon Niese (2-1) to drive in Gonzalez, the Rockies broke it open with a six-run seventh inning against three relievers.
Colorado got a two-run single from Wilin Rosario, a two-run double from Todd Helton and RBI singles from Chris Nelson and pinch-hitter Reid Brignac. In fact, Brignac batted in place of Jordan Pacheco, who began the inning as a pinch-hitter for Garland.
Helton's double was the 573rd of his career, moving him past Ivan Rodriguez for 20th on baseball's all-time list.
Fowler connected for his seventh homer and Tulowitzki for his fourth in the eighth off right-hander Jeremy Hefner, who took the mound in relief.
Niese gave up three runs on nine hits in six innings. The Rockies finished with 17 hits, doing most of their damage against the Mets' bullpen.
Rutledge snapped a 1-all tie in the fourth when he drove a changeup from Niese into the left-field bleachers for his second home run of the season.
New York evened the score at 2 on David Wright's second RBI single, a comebacker that glanced off Garland's glove in the sixth.
NOTES: After being snowed out Monday, the Rockies swept a doubleheader Tuesday from the Mets. A game Wednesday that was wiped out by another snowstorm will be made up at Coors Field on June 27 at 4:10 p.m. ... Rockies OF Michael Cuddyer was scratched from the lineup as a precaution because of a tender hamstring. ... Fowler was back in the starting lineup for the first time since fouling a ball off his foot Sunday at San Diego. ... Ike Davis' RBI single in the Mets' eighth inning snapped his string of 10 consecutive games without a run batted in, which had tied a career high. ... Mets RHP Matt Harvey (3-0), the scheduled starter for Friday night's game in New York against Washington and RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-2), traveled back home Thursday ahead of the team. ... RHP Jhoulys Chacin (2-0) is scheduled to pitch the Rockies' series opener Friday against Arizona and RHP Ian Kennedy (1-1).


text:
It's always good to wander around Shibuya after work.
First I went to the Ikebe side and checked my internet on the open wifi near to 246. Then I bought some Ritz crackers that are going to go well with my guacamole dip from the best 100 yen drugstore where 100 yen is REALLY 100 yen.
Making my way to the other side, I went to Ishibashi and my favourite otaku store where I bought my new Akihabara maid dolls. Candy and Cherry are back in Australia so I was getting lonely again.
At the moment I've named them Emi and Risa for no other reason than an Emi I know would make a super Akiba maid if only for her love of Tokyo Disneyland and Mickey Mouse, and Risa because it's cute how Japanese can't say "Lisa".
I saw a Kimba the White Lion money box, blue Totoro and a weird Japanese block figure there too, but I thought the dolls would do me fine for now.
Looks like there's ANOTHER new guitar store in Shibuya. Rock Inn have opened up a branch on the upper level (5th, I think) of the HMV building. I was thinking it would be a small one, but it was actually pretty big. Epiphone has released a cheaper copy of the Gibson Tak Matsumoto DC Custom.
For a Gibson, I think this is the first new design that I think has potential to open up a new look and market away from the Les Paul shape. I actually really don't like Eppy's and this one sadly was no different. The neck felt horrible for me to play and the pickups felt seriously weak even though I was playing through a JCM800. Pity.
Before heading back I wanted to check out Rock On. It's a small music recording equipment store, a little on the outer fringe of the central Shibuya thoroughfare. There may be a purchase from here in the not too distant future.
On the way back I perused through Tower Records, and then went to Bic Camera to have a look at some lenses and alcohol.
They were selling that Chocolate Beer so I bought two cans. I wanted to see if it was just a fluke I liked it. Nope, still good. I may have to get a 24 can for about 5,000 yen box, it's that good! Oh. At the cashier they had this Zima Orange drink for 108 yen (53% off), so I grabbed it. It tastes just like Fanta. You can see the chocolate beer in the background.
Mmm.. Chocolate beer and Akihabara maids. Is there anything better?
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Akiba Maid Dolls
It's always good to wander around Shibuya after work.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:05 pm


text:
Suggested Citation
Department of Health and Human Services. Oral Health in America:
A Report of the Surgeon General-- Executive Summary. Rockville,
MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 2000.
Message from Donna
E. Shalala
Secretary of Health
and Human Services
intent of this first-ever Surgeon Generals Report on Oral Health
is to alert Americans to the full meaning of oral health and its importance
to general health and well-being. Great progress has been made in reducing
the extent and severity of common oral diseases. Successful prevention
measures adopted by communities, individuals, and oral health professionals
have resulted in marked improvements in the nations oral and dental
terms oral health and general health should not be interpreted as separate
entities. Oral health is integral to general health; this report provides
important reminders that oral health means more than healthy teeth and
that you cannot be healthy without oral health. Further, the report
outlines existing safe and effective disease prevention measures that
everyone can adopt to improve oral health and prevent disease.
not everyone is experiencing the same degree of improvement. This Surgeon
Generals report addresses the inequities and disparities that
affect those least able to muster the resources to achieve optimal oral
health. For whatever the reason, ignoring oral health problems can lead
to needless pain and suffering, causing devastating complications to
an individuals well-being, with financial and social costs that
significantly diminish quality of life and burden American society.
a third decade, the nation has developed a plan for the prevention of
disease and the promotion of health, including oral health, embodied
in the US Department of Health and Human Services document, Healthy
People 2010. This Surgeon Generals Report on Oral Health emphasizes
the importance of achieving the Healthy People goals to increase quality
of life and eliminate disparities. As a nation, we hope to address the
determinants of health--individual and environmental factors--in order
to improve access to quality care, and to support policies and programs
that make a difference for our health. We hope to prevent oral diseases
and disorders, cancer, birth defects, AIDS and other devastating infections,
mental illness and suicide, and the chronic diseases of aging.
trust that this Surgeon Generals report will ensure that health
promotion and disease prevention programs are enhanced for all Americans.
This report proposes solutions that entail partnerships--government
agencies and officials, private industry, foundations, consumer groups,
health professionals, educators, and researchers--to coordinate and
facilitate actions based on a National Oral Health Plan. Together, we
can effect the changes we need to maintain and improve oral health for
all Americans.
The growth of
biomedical research since World War II has wrought extraordinary advances
in the health and well-being of the American people. The story is particularly
remarkable in the case of oral health, where we have gone from a nation
plagued by the pains of toothache and tooth loss to a nation where most
people can smile about their oral health. The impetus for change--to
take on the challenge of addressing oral diseases as well as the many
other health problems that shorten lives and diminish well-being--led
to the postwar growth of the National Institutes of Health. In 1948
the National Institute of Dental Research--now the National Institute
of Dental and Craniofacial Research--joined the National Cancer Institute
and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as the third of the
National Institutes of Health.
The Institutes
research initially focused on dental caries and studies demonstrating
the effectiveness of fluoride in preventing dental caries, research
that ushered in a new era of health promotion and disease prevention.
The discovery of fluoride was soon complemented by research that showed
that both dental caries and periodontal diseases were bacterial infections
that could be prevented by a combination of individual, community, and
professional actions. These and other applications of research discoveries
have resulted in continuing improvements in the oral, dental, and craniofacial
health of Americans. Today, armed with the high-powered tools, automated
equipment, and imaging techniques of genetics and molecular and cell
biology, scientists have set their sights on resolving the full array
of craniofacial diseases and disorders, from common birth defects such
as cleft lip and palate to the debilitating chronic oral-facial pain
conditions and oral cancers that occur later in life.
The National Institute
of Dental and Craniofacial Research has served as the lead agency for
the development of this Surgeon Generals Report on Oral Health.
As part of the National Institutes of Health, the Institute has had
ready access to ongoing federal research and the good fortune to work
collaboratively with many other agencies and individuals, both within
and outside government. The establishment of a Federal Coordinating
Committee provided a formal mechanism for the exchange of ideas and
information from other departments, including the US Department of Agriculture,
Department of Education, Department of Justice, Department of Defense,
Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Energy. Active
participation in the preparation and review of the report came from
hundreds of individuals who graciously gave of their expertise and time.
It has been a pleasure to have had this opportunity to prepare the report,
and we thank Surgeon General David Satcher for inviting us to participate.
Despite the advances
in oral health that have been made over the last half century, there
is still much work to be done. This past year we have seen the release
of Healthy People 2010, which emphasizes the broad aims of improving
quality of life and eliminating health disparities. The recently released
General Accounting Office report on the oral health of low-income populations
further highlights the oral health problems of disadvantaged populations
and the effects on their well-being that result from lack of access
to care. Agencies and voluntary and professional organizations have
already begun to lay the groundwork for research and service programs
that directly and comprehensively address health disparities. The National
Institutes of Health has joined these efforts and is completing an agencywide
action plan for research to reduce health disparities. Getting a healthy
start in life is critical in these efforts, and toward that end, a Surgeon
Generals Conference on Children and Oral Health, The Face of a
Child, is scheduled for June 2000. Many other departmental and agency
activities are under way.
The report concludes
with a framework for action to enable further progress in oral health.
It emphasizes the importance of building partnerships to facilitate
collaborations to enhance education, service, and research and eliminate
barriers to care. By working together, we can truly make a difference
in our nations health--a difference that will benefit the health
and well-being of all our citizens.
the Surgeon General
US Public
Health Service
we begin the twenty-first century we can be proud of the strides we
have made in improving the oral health of the American people. At the
turn of the last century most Americans could expect to lose their teeth
by middle age. That situation began to change with the discovery of
the properties of fluoride, and the observation that people who lived
in communities with naturally fluoridated drinking water had far less
dental caries (tooth decay) than people in comparable communities without
fluoride in their water supply. Community water fluoridation remains
one of the great achievements of public health in the twentieth century--an
inexpensive means of improving oral health that benefits all residents
of a community, young and old, rich and poor alike. We are fortunate
that additional disease prevention and health promotion measures exist
for dental caries and for many other oral diseases and disorders--measures
that can be used by individuals, health care providers, and communities.
as we take stock of how far we have come in enhancing oral health, this
report makes it abundantly clear that there are profound and consequential
disparities in the oral health of our citizens. Indeed, what amounts
to a silent epidemic of dental and oral diseases is affecting
some population groups. This burden of disease restricts activities
in school, work, and home, and often significantly diminishes the quality
of life. Those who suffer the worst oral health are found among the
poor of all ages, with poor children and poor older Americans particularly
vulnerable. Members of racial and ethnic minority groups also experience
a disproportionate level of oral health problems. Individuals who are
medically compromised or who have disabilities are at greater risk for
oral diseases, and, in turn, oral diseases further jeopardize their
reasons for disparities in oral health are complex. In many instances,
socioeconomic factors are the explanation. In other cases, disparities
are exacerbated by the lack of community programs such as fluoridated
water supplies. People may lack transportation to a clinic and flexibility
in getting time off from work to attend to health needs. Physical disability
or other illness may also limit access to services. Lack of resources
to pay for care, either out of pocket or through private or public dental
insurance, is clearly another barrier. Fewer people have dental insurance
than have medical insurance, and it is often lost when individuals retire.
Public dental insurance programs are often inadequate. Another major
barrier to seeking and obtaining professional oral health care relates
to a lack of public understanding and awareness of the importance of
oral health.
know that the mouth reflects general health and well-being. This report
reiterates that general health risk factors common to many diseases,
such as tobacco use and poor dietary practices, also affect oral and
craniofacial health. The evidence for an association between tobacco
use and oral diseases has been clearly delineated in every Surgeon Generals
report on tobacco since 1964, and the oral effects of nutrition and
diet are presented in the Surgeon Generals report on nutrition
(1988). Recently, research findings have pointed to possible associations
between chronic oral infections and diabetes, heart and lung diseases,
stroke, and low-birth-weight, premature births. This report assesses
these emerging associations and explores factors that may underlie these
oral-systemic disease connections.
improve quality of life and eliminate health disparities demands the
understanding, compassion, and will of the American people. There are
opportunities for all health professions, individuals, and communities
to work together to improve health. But more needs to be done if we
are to make further improvements in Americas oral health. We hope
that this Surgeon Generals report will inform the American people
about the opportunities to improve oral health and provide a platform
from which the science base for craniofacial research can be expanded.
The report should also serve to strengthen the translation of proven
health promotion and disease prevention approaches into policy development,
health care practice, and personal lifestyle behaviors. A framework
for action that integrates oral health into overall health is critical
if we are to see further gains.
Satcher MD, PhD
Surgeon General
Executive Summary
of this first Surgeon Generals Report on Oral Health marks a milestone
in the history of oral health in America. The report elaborates on the
meaning of oral health and explains why oral health is essential to
general health and well-being. In the course of the past 50 years, great
progress has been made in understanding the common oral diseases-- dental
caries (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) diseases--resulting in marked
improvements in the nations oral health. Most middle-aged and
younger Americans expect to retain their natural teeth over their lifetime
and do not expect to have any serious oral health problems.
major message of this Surgeon Generals report is that oral health
is essential to the general health and well-being of all Americans and
can be achieved by all Americans. However, not all Americans
are achieving the same degree of oral health. In spite of the safe and
effective means of maintaining oral health that have benefited the majority
of Americans over the past half century, many among us still experience
needless pain and suffering, complications that devastate overall health
and well-being, and financial and social costs that diminish the quality
of life and burden American society. What amounts to a silent
epidemic of oral diseases is affecting our most vulnerable citizens--
poor children, the elderly, and many members of racial and ethnic minority
groups (US General Accounting Office 2000). (See box entitled The
Burden of Oral Diseases and Disorders.)
word oral refers to the mouth. The mouth includes not only the
teeth and the gums (gingiva) and their supporting tissues, but also
the hard and soft palate, the mucosal lining of the mouth and throat,
the tongue, the lips, the salivary glands, the chewing muscles, and
the upper and lower jaws. Equally important are the branches of the
nervous, immune, and vascular systems that animate, protect, and nourish
the oral tissues, as well as provide connections to the brain and the
rest of the body. The genetic patterning of development in utero further
reveals the intimate relationship of the oral tissues to the developing
brain and to the tissues of the face and head that surround the mouth,
structures whose location is captured in the word craniofacial.
major theme of this report is that oral health means much more than
healthy teeth. It means being free of chronic oral-facial pain conditions,
oral and pharyngeal (throat) cancers, oral soft tissue lesions, birth
defects such as cleft lip and palate, and scores of other diseases and
disorders that affect the oral, dental, and craniofacial tissues, collectively
known as the craniofacial complex. These are tissues whose functions
we often take for granted, yet they represent the very essence of our
humanity. They allow us to speak and smile; sigh and kiss; smell, taste,
touch, chew, and swallow; cry out in pain; and convey a world of feelings
and emotions through facial expressions. They also provide protection
against microbial infections and environmental insults.
craniofacial tissues also provide a useful means to understanding organs
and systems in less accessible parts of the body. The salivary glands
are a model of other exocrine glands, and an analysis of saliva can
provide telltale clues of overall health or disease. The jawbones and
their joints function like other musculoskeletal parts. The nervous
system apparatus underlying facial pain has its counterpart in nerves
elsewhere in the body. A thorough oral examination can detect signs
of nutritional deficiencies as well as a number of systemic diseases,
including microbial infections, immune disorders, injuries, and some
cancers. Indeed, the phrase the mouth is a mirror has been used
to illustrate the wealth of information that can be derived from examining
oral tissues.
research is pointing to associations between chronic oral infections
and heart and lung diseases, stroke, and low-birth-weight, premature
births. Associations between periodontal disease and diabetes have long
been noted. This report assesses these associations and explores mechanisms
that might explain the oral-systemic disease connections.
broadened meaning of oral health parallels the broadened meaning
of health. In 1948 the World Health Organization expanded the
definition of health to mean a complete state of physical, mental,
and social well-being, and not just the absence of infirmity.
It follows that oral health must also include well-being. Just as we
now understand that nature and nurture are inextricably linked, and
mind and body are both expressions of our human biology, so, too, we
must recognize that oral health and general health are inseparable.
We ignore signs and symptoms of oral disease and dysfunction to our
detriment. Consequently, a second theme of the report is that oral
health is integral to general health. You cannot be healthy without
oral health. Oral health and general health should not be interpreted
as separate entities. Oral health is a critical component of health
and must be included in the provision of health care and the design
of community programs.
wider meanings of oral and health in no way diminish the
relevance and importance of the two leading dental diseases, caries
and the periodontal diseases. They remain common and widespread, affecting
nearly everyone at some point in the life span. What has changed is
what we can do about them.
in the 1930s discovered that people living in communities with naturally
fluoridated water supplies had less dental caries than people drinking
unfluoridated water. But not until the end of World War II were the
investigators able to design and
implement the community clinical trials that confirmed their observations
and launched a better approach to the problem of dental caries: prevention.
Soon after, adjusting the fluoride content of community water supplies
was pursued as an important public health measure to prevent dental
The Burden
of Oral Diseases and Disorders
Oral diseases
are progressive and cumulative and become more complex over time.
They can affect our ability to eat, the foods we choose, how we
look, and the way we communicate. These diseases can affect economic
productivity and compromise our ability to work at home, at school,
or on the job. Health disparities exist across population groups
at all ages. Over one third of the US population (100 million
people) has no access to community water fluoridation. Over 108
million children and adults lack dental insurance, which is over
2.5 times the number who lack medical insurance. The following
are highlights of oral health data for children, adults, and the
elderly. (Refer to the full report for details of these data and
their sources.)
this measure has not been fully implemented, the results have been dramatic.
Dental caries began to decline in the 1950s among children who grew
up in fluoridated cities, and by the late 1970s, decline in decay was
evident for many Americans. The application of science to improve diagnostic,
treatment, and prevention strategies has saved billions of dollars per
year in the nations annual health bill. Even more significant,
the result is that far fewer people are edentulous (toothless) today
than a generation ago.
theme of prevention gained momentum as pioneering investigators and
practitioners in the 1950s and 1960s showed that not only dental caries
but also periodontal diseases are bacterial infections. The researchers
demonstrated that the infections could be prevented by increasing host
resistance to disease and reducing or eliminating the suspected microbial
pathogens in the oral cavity. The applications of research discoveries
have resulted in continuing improvements in the oral health of Americans,
new approaches to the prevention and treatment of dental diseases, and
the growth of the science.
significant role that scientists, dentists, dental hygienists, and other
health professionals have played in the prevention of oral disease and
disability leads to a third theme of this report: safe and effective
disease prevention measures exist that everyone can adopt to improve
oral health and prevent disease. These measures include daily oral
hygiene procedures and other lifestyle behaviors, community programs
such as community water fluoridation and tobacco
cessation programs, and provider-based interventions such as the placement
of dental sealants and examinations for common oral and pharyngeal cancers.
It is hoped that this Surgeon Generals report will facilitate
the maturing of the broad field of craniofacial research so that gains
in the prevention of craniofacial diseases and disorders can be realized
that are as impressive as those achieved for common dental diseases.
the same time, more needs to be done to ensure that messages of health
promotion and disease prevention are brought home to all Americans.
In this regard, a fourth theme of the report is that general health
risk factors, such as tobacco use and poor dietary practices, also affect
oral and craniofacial health. The evidence for an association between
tobacco use and oral diseases has been clearly delineated in almost
every Surgeon Generals report on tobacco since 1964, and the oral
effects of nutrition and diet are presented in the Surgeon Generals
report on nutrition (1988). All the health professions can play a role
in reducing the burden of disease in America by calling attention to
these and other risk factors and suggesting appropriate actions.
promoting health and preventing disease are concepts the American people
have taken to heart. For the third decade the nation has developed a
plan for the prevention of disease and the promotion of health, embodied
in the US Department of Health and Human Services (2000) document, Healthy
People 2010. As a nation, we hope to eliminate disparities in health
and eradicate cancer, birth defects, AIDS and other devastating infections,
mental illness and suicide, and the chronic diseases of aging. To live
well into old age free of pain and infirmity, and with a high quality
of life, is the American dream.
today take that dream seriously in researching the intricacies of the
craniofacial complex. They are using an ever-growing array of sophisticated
analytic tools and imaging systems to study normal function and diagnose
disease. They are completing the mapping and sequencing of human, animal,
microbial, and plant genomes, the better to understand the complexities
of human development, aging, and pathological processes. They are growing
cell lines, synthesizing molecules, and using a new generation of biomaterials
to revolutionize tissue repair and regeneration. More than ever before,
they are working in multidisciplinary teams to bring new knowledge and
expertise to the goal of understanding complex human diseases and disorders.
Surgeon Generals report has much to say about the inequities and
disparities that affect those least able to muster the resources to
achieve optimal oral health. The barriers to oral health include lack
of access to care, whether because of limited income or lack of insurance,
transportation, or the flexibility to take time off from work to attend
to personal or family needs for care. Individuals with disabilities
and those with complex health problems may face additional barriers
to care. Sometimes, too, the public, policymakers, and providers may
consider oral health and the need for care to be less important than
other health needs, pointing to the need to raise awareness and improve
health literacy.
more costly to the individual and to society are the expenses associated
with oral health problems that go beyond dental diseases. The nations
yearly dental bill is expected to exceed $60 billion in 2000 (Health
Care Financing Administration 2000). However, add to that expense the
tens of billions of dollars in direct medical care and indirect costs
of chronic craniofacial pain conditions such as temporomandibular disorders,
trigeminal neuralgia, shingles, or burning mouth syndrome; the $100,000
minimal individual lifetime costs of treating craniofacial birth defects
such as cleft lip and palate; the costs of oral and pharyngeal cancers;
the costs of autoimmune diseases; and the costs associated with the
unintentional and intentional injuries that so often affect the head
and face. Then add the social and psychological consequences and costs.
Damage to the craniofacial complex, whether from disease, disorder,
or injury, strikes at our very identity. We see ourselves, and others
see us, in terms of the face we present to the world. Diminish that
image in any way and we risk the loss of self-esteem and well-being.
unanswered questions remain for scientists, practitioners, educators,
policymakers, and the public. This report highlights the research challenges
as well as pointing to emerging technologies that may facilitate finding
solutions. Along with the quest for answers comes the challenge of applying
what is already known in a society where there are social, political,
economic, behavioral, and environmental barriers to health and well-being.
realization that oral health can have a significant impact on the overall
health and well-being of the nations population led the Office
of the Surgeon General, with the approval of the Secretary of Health
and Human
Services, to commission this report. Recognizing the gains that have
been made in disease prevention while acknowledging that there are populations
that suffer disproportionately from oral health problems, the Secretary
asked that the report define, describe, and evaluate the interaction
between oral health and health and well-being [quality of life], through
the life span in the context of changes in society. Key elements
to be addressed were the determinants of health and disease, with a
primary focus on prevention and producing health rather
than restoring health; a description of the burden of oral
diseases and disorders in the nation; and the evidence for actions to
improve oral health to be taken across the life span. The report also
was to feature an orientation to the future, highlighting leading-edge
technologies and research findings that can be brought to bear in improving
the oral health of individuals and communities.
report is based on a review of the published scientific literature.
Standards established to determine the quality of the evidence, based
on the study design and its rigor, were used where appropriate. In addition,
the strength of the recommendations, where they are made, is based on
evidence of effectiveness for the population of interest. The scope
of the review encompassed the international English literature. Recent
systematic reviews of the literature are referenced, as are selected
review articles. A few referenced articles are in press, and there are
occasional references to recent abstracts and personal communications.
science base in oral health has been evolving over the past half century.
Initial research in this area was primarily in the basic sciences, investigating
mechanisms of normal development and pathology in relation to dental
caries and periodontal diseases. Prevention research has included controlled
clinical studies, with and without randomization, as well as community
trials and demonstration research. More recent research has broadened
the science base to include studies of the range of craniofacial diseases
and disorders and is moving from basic science to translational, clinical,
and health services research.
clinical literature includes the full range of studies, from randomized
controlled studies to case studies. Most of the literature includes
cross-sectional and cohort studies, with some case-control studies.
General reviews of the literature have been used for Chapters 2 through
10. Chapter 4 includes both published and new analyses of national and
state databases that have been carefully designed and for which quality
assurance has been maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Studies of smaller populations are also included where relevant.
In Chapter 5, tables present information on the association of oral
infections and systemic conditions, and in Chapter 7, tables exhibit
oral disease prevention and health promotion measures. The published
literature related to the development of new technologies, their potential
impact, and the need for further research are described in the course
of addressing the requested futures orientation.
report was generated with the advice and support of a Federal Coordinating
Committee composed of representatives of agencies with oral health components
and interests. The chapters were based on papers submitted by experts
working under the guidance of a coordinating author for each chapter.
Independent peer review was conducted for all sections of the report
at various stages in the process, and the full manuscript was reviewed
by a number of senior reviewers as well as the relevant federal agencies.
All who contributed are listed in the Acknowledgments section of the
full report.
report centers on five major questions, which have been used to structure
the report into five parts.
Part One: What Is Oral Health?
meaning of oral health is explored in Chapter 1, and the interdependence
of oral health with general health and well-being is a recurrent theme
throughout the volume.
2 provides an overview of the craniofacial complex in development and
aging, how the tissues and organs function in essential life processes,
and their role in determining our uniquely human abilities. Our craniofacial
complex has evolved to have remarkable functions and abilities to adapt,
enabling us to meet the challenges of an ever-changing environment.
An examination of the various tissues reveals elaborate designs that
serve complex needs and functions, including the uniquely human function
of speech. The rich distribution of nerves, muscles, and blood vessels
in the region as well as extensive endocrine and immune system connections
are indicators of the vital role of the craniofacial complex
in adaptation and survival over a long life span. In particular, the
following findings are noted:
Part Two: What Is the Status of Oral Health in America?
3 is a primer describing the major diseases and disorders that affect
the craniofacial complex. The findings include:
4 constitutes an oral health status report card for the United States,
describing the magnitude of the problem. Where data permit, the chapter
also describes the oral health of selected population groups, as well
as their dental visit behavior. The findings include:
Part Three: What Is the Relationship Between Oral Health and General
Health and Well-being?
5 and 6 address key issues in the reports charge--the relationship
of oral health to general health and well-being. Chapter 5 explores
the theme of the mouth as reflecting general health or disease status.
Examples are given of how oral tissues may signal the presence of disease,
disease progression, or exposure to risk factors, and how oral cells
and fluids are increasingly being used as diagnostic tools. This
is followed by a discussion of the mouth as a portal of entry for infections
that can affect local tissues and may spread to other parts of the body.
The final sections review the literature regarding emerging associations
between oral diseases and diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and adverse
pregnancy outcomes. The findings include:
6 demonstrates the relationship between oral health and quality of life,
presenting data on the consequences of poor oral health and altered
appearance on speech, eating, and other functions, as well as on self-esteem,
social interaction, education, career achievement, and emotional state.
The chapter introduces anthropological and ethnographic literature to
underscore the cultural values and symbolism attached to facial appearance
and teeth. An examination of efforts to characterize the functional
and social implications of oral and craniofacial diseases reveals the
following findings:
Part Four: How Is Oral Health Promoted and Maintained and How Are Oral
Diseases Prevented?
next three chapters review how individuals, health care practitioners,
communities, and the nation as a whole contribute to oral health. Chapter
7 reviews the evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of health
promotion and disease prevention measures with a focus on community
efforts in preventing oral disease. It continues with a discussion of
the knowledge and practices of the public and health care providers
and indicates opportunities for broad-based and targeted health promotion.
The findings include:
over one third of the US population (100 million people) are without
this critical public health measure.
8 explores the role of the individual and the health care provider in
promoting and maintaining oral health and well-being. For the individual,
this means exercising appropriate self-care and adopting healthy behaviors.
For the provider, it means incorporating the knowledge emerging from
the science base in a timely manner for prevention and diagnosis, risk
assessment and risk management, and treatment of oral diseases and disorders.
The chapter focuses largely on the oral health care provider. The management
of oral and craniofacial health and disease necessitates collaborations
among a team of care providers to achieve optimal oral and general health.
The findings include:
9 describes the roles of dental practitioners and their teams, the medical
community, and public health agencies at local, state, and national
levels in administering care or reimbursing for the costs of care. These
activities are viewed against the changing organization of US health
care and trends regarding the workforce in research, education, and
Part Five:
What Are the Needs and Opportunities to Enhance Oral Health?
10 looks at determinants of oral health in the context of society and
across various life stages. Although theorists have proposed a variety
of models of health determinants, there is general consensus that individual
biology, the physical and socioeconomic environment, personal behaviors
and lifestyle, and the organization of health care are key factors whose
interplay determines the level of oral health achieved by an individual.
The chapter provides examples of these factors with an emphasis on barriers
and ways to raise the level of oral health for children and older Americans.
The findings include:
11 spells out in greater detail the promise of the life sciences in
improving oral health in the coming years in the context of changes
in American--and global--society. The critical role of genetics and
molecular biology is emphasized.
12, the final chapter, iterates the themes of the report and groups
the findings from the earlier chapters into eight major categories.
These findings, as well as a suggested framework for action to guide
the next steps in enhancing the oral health of the nation, are presented
diseases and disorders in and of themselves affect health and well-being
throughout life. The burden of oral problems is extensive and may
be particularly severe in vulnerable populations. It includes the common
dental diseases and other oral infections, such as cold sores and candidiasis,
that can occur at any stage of life, as well as birth defects in infancy,
and the chronic facial pain conditions and oral cancers seen in later
years. Many of these conditions and their treatments may undermine self-image
and self-esteem, discourage normal social interaction, and lead to chronic
stress and depression as well as incur great financial cost. They may
also interfere with vital functions such as breathing, eating, swallowing,
and speaking and with activities of daily living such as work, school,
and family interactions.
and effective measures exist to prevent the most common dental diseases--dental
caries and periodontal diseases. Community water fluoridation is
safe and effective in preventing dental caries in both children and
adults. Water fluoridation benefits all residents served by community
water supplies regardless of their social or economic status. Professional
and individual measures, including the use of fluoride mouthrinses,
gels, dentifrices, and dietary supplements and the application of dental
sealants, are additional means of preventing dental caries. Gingivitis
can be prevented by good personal oral hygiene practices, including
brushing and flossing.
behaviors that affect general health such as tobacco use, excessive
alcohol use, and poor dietary choices affect oral and craniofacial health
as well. These individual behaviors are associated with increased
risk for craniofacial birth defects, oral and pharyngeal cancers, periodontal
disease, dental caries, and candidiasis, among other oral health problems.
Opportunities exist to expand the oral disease prevention and health
promotion knowledge and practices of the public through community programs
and in health care settings. All health care providers can play a role
in promoting healthy lifestyles by incorporating tobacco cessation programs,
nutritional counseling, and other health-promotion efforts into their
are profound and consequential oral health disparities within the US
population. Disparities for various oral conditions may relate to
income, age, sex, race or ethnicity, or medical status. Although common
dental diseases are preventable, not all members of society are informed
about or able to avail themselves of appropriate oral health-promoting
measures. Similarly, not all health providers may
be aware of the services needed to improve oral health. In addition,
oral health care is not fully integrated into many care programs. Social,
economic, and cultural factors and changing population demographics
affect how health services are delivered and used, and how people care
for themselves. Reducing disparities requires wide-ranging approaches
that target populations at highest risk for specific oral diseases and
involves improving access to existing care. One approach includes making
dental insurance more available to Americans. Public coverage for dental
care is minimal for adults, and programs for children have not reached
the many eligible beneficiaries.
information is needed to improve Americas oral health and eliminate
health disparities. We do not have adequate data on health, disease,
and health practices and care use for the US population as a whole and
its diverse segments, including racial and ethnic minorities, rural
populations, individuals with disabilities, the homeless, immigrants,
migrant workers, the very young, and the frail elderly. Nor are there
sufficient data that explore health issues in relation to sex or sexual
orientation. Data on state and local populations, essential for program
planning and evaluation, are rare or unavailable and reflect the limited
capacity of the US health infrastructure for oral health. Health services
research, which could provide much needed information on the cost, cost-effectiveness,
and outcomes of treatment, is also sorely lacking. Finally, measurement
of disease and health outcomes is needed. Although progress has been
made in measuring oral-health-related quality of life, more needs to
be done, and measures of oral health per se do not exist.
mouth reflects general health and well-being. The mouth is a readily
accessible and visible part of the body and provides health care providers
and individuals with a window on their general health status. As the
gateway of the body, the mouth senses and responds to the external world
and at the same time reflects what is happening deep inside the body.
The mouth may show signs of nutritional deficiencies and serve as an
early warning system for diseases such as HIV infection and other immune
system problems. The mouth can also show signs of general infection
and stress. As the number of substances that can be reliably measured
in saliva increases, it may well become the diagnostic fluid of choice,
enabling the diagnosis of specific disease as well as the measurement
of the concentration of a variety of drugs, hormones, and other molecules
of interest. Cells and fluids in the mouth may also be
used for genetic analysis to help uncover risks for disease and predict
outcomes of medical treatments.
diseases and conditions are associated with other health problems. Oral
infections can be the source of systemic infections in people with weakened
immune systems, and oral signs and symptoms often are part of a general
health condition. Associations between chronic oral infections and other
health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and adverse pregnancy
outcomes, have also been reported. Ongoing research may uncover mechanisms
that strengthen the current findings and explain these relationships.
research is key to further reduction in the burden of diseases and disorders
that affect the face, mouth, and teeth. The science base for dental
diseases is broad and provides a strong foundation for further improvements
in prevention; for other craniofacial and oral health conditions the
base has not yet reached the same level of maturity. Scientific research
has led to a variety of approaches to improve oral health through prevention,
early diagnosis, and treatment. We are well positioned to take these
prevention measures further by investigating how to develop more targeted
and effective interventions and devising ways to enhance their appropriate
adoption by the public and the health professions. The application of
powerful new tools and techniques is important. Their employment in
research in genetics and genomics, neuroscience, and cancer has allowed
rapid progress in these fields. An intensified effort to understand
the relationships between oral infections and their management, and
other illnesses and conditions is warranted, along with the development
of oral-based diagnostics. These developments hold great promise for
the health of the American people.
All Americans can benefit from the development of a National Oral
Health Plan to improve quality of life and eliminate health disparities
by facilitating collaborations among individuals, health care providers,
communities, and policymakers at all levels of society and by taking
advantage of existing initiatives. Everyone has a role in improving
and promoting oral health. Together we can work to broaden public understanding
of the importance of oral health and its relevance to general health
and well-being, and to ensure that existing and future preventive, diagnostic,
and treatment measures for oral diseases and disorders are made available
to all Americans. The following are the principal components of the
Change perceptions regarding oral health and disease
so that oral health becomes an accepted component of general health.
Accelerate the building of the science and evidence
base and apply science effectively to improve oral health. Basic
behavioral and biomedical research, clinical trials, and population-based
research have been at the heart of scientific advances over the past
decades. The nation's continued investment in research is critical for
the provision of new knowledge about oral and general health and disease
for years to come and needs to be accelerated if further improvements
are to be made. Equally important is the effective transfer of research
findings to the public and health professions. However, the next steps
are more complicated. The challenge is to understand complex diseases
caused by the interaction of multiple genes with environmental and behavioral
variables--a description that applies to most oral diseases and disorders--and
translate research findings into health care practice and healthy lifestyles.
This report highlights many areas of research opportunities and needs
in each chapter. At present, there is an overall need for behavioral
and clinical research, clinical trials, health services research, and
community-based demonstration research. Also, development of risk assessment
procedures for individuals and communities and of diagnostic markers
to indicate whether an individual is more or less susceptible to a given
disease can provide the basis for formulating risk profiles and tailoring
treatment and program options accordingly.
Vital to progress in this area is a better understanding of the etiology
and distribution of disease. But as this report makes clear, epidemiologic
and surveillance databases for oral health and disease, health services,
utilization of care, and expenditures are limited or lacking at the
national, state, and local levels. Such data are essential in conducting
health services research, generating research hypotheses, planning and
evaluating programs, and identifying emerging public health problems.
Future data collection must address differences among the subpopulations
making up racial and ethnic groups. More attention must also be paid
to demographic variables such as age, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic
factors in determining health status. Clearly, the more detailed information
that is available, the better can program planners establish priorities
and targeted interventions.
Progress in elucidating the relationships between chronic oral inflammatory
infections, such as periodontitis, and diabetes and glycemic control
as well as other systemic conditions will require a similar intensified
commitment to research. Rapid progress can also occur with efforts in
the area of the natural repair and regeneration of oral tissues and
organs. Improvements in oral health depend on multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary approaches to biomedical and behavioral research,
including partnerships among researchers in the life and physical sciences,
and on the ability of practitioners and the public to apply research
findings effectively.
Build an effective health infrastructure that meets
the oral health needs of all Americans and integrates oral health effectively
into overall health. The public health capacity for addressing oral
health is dilute and not integrated with other public health programs.
Although the Healthy People 2010 objectives provide a blueprint for
outcome measures, a national public health plan for oral health does
not exist. Furthermore, local, state, and federal resources are limited
in the personnel, equipment, and facilities available to support oral
health programs. There is also a lack of available trained public health
practitioners knowledgeable about oral health. As a result, existing
disease prevention programs are not being implemented in many communities,
creating gaps in prevention and care that affect the nation's neediest
populations. Indeed, cutbacks in many state budgets have reduced staffing
of state and territorial dental programs and curtailed oral health promotion
and disease prevention efforts. An enhanced public health infrastructure
would facilitate the development of strengthened partnerships with private
practitioners, other public programs, and voluntary groups.
There is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the oral health
workforce. Efforts to recruit members of minority groups to positions
in health education, research, and practice in numbers that at least
match their representation in the general population not only would
enrich the talent pool, but also might result in a more equitable geographic
distribution of care providers. The effect of that change could well
enhance access and utilization of oral health care by racial and ethnic
A closer look at trends in the workforce discloses a worrisome shortfall
in the numbers of men and women choosing careers in oral health education
and research. Government and private sector leaders are aware of the
problem and are discussing ways to increase and diversify the talent
pool, including easing the financial burden of professional education,
but additional incentives may be necessary.
Remove known barriers between people and oral health services.
This report presents data on access, utilization, financing, and
reimbursement of oral health care; provides additional data on the extent
of the barriers; and points to the need for public-private partnerships
in seeking solutions. The data indicate that lack of dental insurance,
private or public, is one of several impediments to obtaining oral health
care and accounts in part for the generally poorer oral health of those
who live at or near the poverty line, lack health insurance, or lose
their insurance upon retirement. The level of reimbursement for services
also has been reported to be a problem and a disincentive to the participation
of providers in certain public programs. Professional organizations
and government agencies are cognizant of these problems and are exploring
solutions that merit evaluation. Particular concern has been expressed
about the nation's children, and initiatives such as the State Children's
Health Insurance Program, while not mandating coverage for oral health
services, are a positive step. In addition, individuals whose health
is physically, mentally, and emotionally compromised need comprehensive
integrated care.
Use public-private partnerships to improve the oral health of those
who still suffer disproportionately from oral diseases. The collective
and complementary talents of public health agencies, private industry,
social services organizations, educators, health care providers, researchers,
the media, community leaders, voluntary health organizations and consumer
groups, and concerned citizens are vital if America is not just to reduce,
but to eliminate, health disparities. This report highlights variations
in oral and general health within and across all population groups.
Increased public-private partnerships are needed to educate the public,
to educate health professionals, to conduct research, and to provide
health care services and programs. These partnerships can build and
strengthen cross-disciplinary, culturally competent, community-based,
and community-wide efforts and demonstration programs to expand initiatives
for health promotion and disease prevention. Examples of such efforts
include programs to prevent tobacco use, promote better dietary choices,
and encourage the use of protective gear to prevent sports injuries.
In this way, partnerships uniting sports organizations, schools, churches,
and other community groups and leaders, working in concert with the
health community, can contribute to improved oral and general health.
past half century has seen the meaning of oral health evolve from a
narrow focus on teeth and gingiva to the recognition that the mouth
is the center of vital tissues and functions that are critical to total
health and
well-being across the life span. The mouth as a mirror of health or
disease, as a sentinel or early warning system, as an accessible model
for the study of other tissues and organs, and as a potential source
of pathology affecting other systems and organs has been described in
earlier chapters and provides the impetus for extensive future research.
Past discoveries have enabled Americans today to enjoy far better oral
health than their forebears a century ago. But the evidence that not
all Americans have achieved the same level of oral health and well-being
stands as a major challenge, one that demands the best efforts of public
and private agencies and individuals.
Vidyya. Home |
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Vidyya |
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Editor: Susan K. Boyer, RN
© Vidyya. All rights reserved.


text:
Injured ankle could land Infante on DL
CLEVELAND -- Omar Infante's sprained left ankle, an injury sustained on Colby Rasmus' slide on Wednesday in Toronto, continues to sideline him. Monday was his fifth consecutive game out of the lineup.
The way Infante sounded as the Tigers prepared to return home following Monday's win, he might have all the way through the All-Star break to recover.
"I'm thinking maybe the DL," Infante told MLive.com after Monday's win. "I'll know [on Tuesday]. I did some light running today, but it wasn't easy. I can't run or jog. I can't do nothing."
Head athletic trainer Kevin Rand confirmed on Monday that Infante's bruised left shin, which took the brunt of the damage from Rasmus' takeout slide at second base, is no longer a hindrance. The ankle problem, however, is a sprain rather than a contusion.
Infante said he'll undergo an MRI on Tuesday to help determine the severity of the injury.
If the Tigers place Infante on the DL, they can backdate the move to last Thursday, the day after the injury. The combination of the backdate and the All-Star break would mean Infante could be eligible to return when the Tigers begin the second half of their schedule a week from Friday in Kansas City.


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After almost 6 years and with thousands of very satisfied customers around the world, we have discontinued production and sales of the Perfect Petfeeder Lux Model. But we are excited to announce it successor, a redesign of the original, which we will launch in late 2017.
Long work hours and busy schedules need no longer prevent you from implementing consistent, portion controlled feeding of your cat(s) or small to medium size dog(s). Simply the best appliance of its kind, the Perfect Petfeeder delivers a worry-free solution to
pet-parents who value quality, in combination with thoughtful,
efficient design, allowing you to easily program a diet customized for your pet's optimum health, and to make adjustments as they mature. Every unit comes equipped to feed dry food to 1 or 2 pets, with features and benefits that surpass expectations.
While an automatic pet food dispenser will never take the place of your time and affection, replacing manual, or free-feeding with an automated solution will profoundly improve your time together, and your peace of mind while away. Beyond compare, the Perfect Petfeeder can be relied upon to feed your pet flawlessly, for a lifetime.
Avoiding the risks of plastic contamination, food contact components are constructed of heavy gauge, hypo-allergenic stainless steel that's dishwasher easy to clean and denotes the built-for-a-lifetime quality you'll find throughout.
Features like:
combine in this dependable, intuitive appliance engineered to get the most from your premium pet food and ensure your pet's ideal weight. The Perfect Petfeeder is an elegant, modern machine for a modern lifestyle.
The Perfect Petfeeder is quality built in the USA and is engineered to be the last automatic pet feeder you'll ever buy. We offer both a 60 day money back guarantee and a Premium 3 year replacement warrantee for the long term protection of your investment.
But more than the sum of its many features, the Perfect Petfeeder goes beyond simply feeding your pet. Round-the-clock portion controlled nutrition promotes a balanced metabolism and provides the consistency of routine that nurtures a low-stress environment for our pets and ourselves.
We invite you to experience the calming, healthful, and behavioral benefits that our customers now enjoy. Make the Perfect Petfeeder a part of your home and lifestyle today. We guarantee that once you begin, you'll never willingly go back to the old way of feeding your pets.
©2007 perfectpetfeeder.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


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Accessibility Options
Broward Cultural Council policy requires that all grantees use the Broward County logo and written acknowledgement for cultural grants. Other logos may be required if grantee is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts or the State of Florida Cultural Affairs Division. These logos are provided below as a courtesy.
Failure to use the correct attribution to the County in your printed publication/publicity materials could be detrimental to future funding.
It is not acceptable for grantee organizations to substitute their own version of the attribution statement or simply to display the County logo without the attribution statement.
When panelists review grant applications, they apply a criterion under Organizational Merit that states, "successful administration of prior county cultural grants including compliance with required attribution."
DO NOT state that the project is "sponsored" by the County or the Council.
Use both the Broward County Logo and the funding statement (listed below) in flyers, programs, brochures, newsletters, direct mail, sponsor recognition, signage, etc. In press releases only the funding statement is required.
Greater Fort Lauderdale Logo -
Horizontal |
Download National Endowment for the Arts logo: Black |
Download Culture Builds Florida Horizontal:
Black |
Sponsorship Statement
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
Cultural Division
(954) 357-7530100 South Andrews Avenue, 6th Floor, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-1829
Important: DO NOT CHANGE THE COLORS, RECREATE, CROP OR EDIT THE LOGO IN ANY WAY --THE BROWARD COUNTY CULTURAL DIVISION LOGO IS COPYRIGHTED!
The entire logo is used to convey the meaning intended and avoid tarnishing or misrepresenting the intended image. No part of the logo may be cropped or altered in any other way.
The logo MAY be resized, the file to download is very large, in order to accommodate many size needs, so the logo may be resized to fit a much smaller space.
The ink colors used in the 3-color logo are: PMS 109 -yellow sun; PMS 166 -sun rays & "COUNTY"; PMS 300 -bar, swish and BR WARD. Take Note: Do not change or substitute other PMS colors -they must be used "as is."
The significance of the for Broward County Cultural Division logo is to help the viewer identify the organization, assure the viewers that they are viewing something containing a connection to the Broward County Cultural Division, and illustrates the organization's intended branding message in a way that words alone could not convey.
Because it is a logo there is almost certainly no free equivalent. Any substitute that is not a derivative work would fail to convey the meaning intended, would tarnish or misrepresent its image, or would fail its purpose of identification or commentary.
When selecting a logo format consider the end use of the logo: will it be used for print or online? Which printer will be used for final output; which process will be used, printing, silk-screening, etc? If the logo is going to be used for print work like posters, postcards, ads use the EPS file, if the logo will be used on the internet or in email format use JPEG file.
If you have any questions please call James Shermer, email@example.com at
954-357-7502 or Erica Mohan,
email@example.com at 954-357-7458.
Broward Arts Calendar Logos :
Black |
Vector Files:
Black |
Always link your image to http://artscalendar.com


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Product 41/50
To maximize results, Michael Ammar separated all the fundamental information
into an appropriate series of layers. Each layer is then revealed in the pattern
perfect for your ever-evolving level of understanding, ability, and confidence.
As each new branch of knowledge grows, a routine is taught which puts that information
into current context. Along the way, special attention is placed on those four
highly transferable skills which grow stronger as you study the Cups and Balls:
Acting, Timing, Routining, and Misdirection. This complete understanding approach
to building your foundation gives you the tools, building blocks, and the blueprints
to build any type of Cups and Balls routine you might ever need!
Youll discover classic wand moves every sleight-of-hand performer should
know, opening positions and sequences, body sequences, secret loading sequences,
as well as final rhythms that create the powerful misdirection to cover your
final loads. Then youll see the real work on Mastering the Final Load.
Finally the Dai Vernon routine, considered the most influential Cups and Balls
routine of this century, is taught, dissected and analyzed.
There has never been a more complete or more effective way to discover the
fascinating secrets of this enduring classic.
Over 750 photographs with text shaded to show you exactly what the key points
are plus 18 essays written by some of the worlds most respected magicians
devulging their secrets and insights into this timeless piece of legerdemain!
Contributors include:
Aldo Colombini David Williamson Bruce Cervon Johnny Thompson
Michael Skinner Tommy Wonder Paul Gertner Johnny Ace Palmer
Bob Sheets Joachim Solberg Shakar Junior Eric DeCamps
Tom Mullica Kate Medvedeva Mike Rogers
Dominique Duvivier Jonathan Pendragon
Introduction . Michael Ammar
Foreword . Tommy Wonder
Final Loads
The Super Simple Routine
Fundamental Skill No . 1 . Acting
Methods of Holding Out
Beginning Sleights
The Fake Transfer
The French Drop
Classic Pass
The Simple Transfer
Misdirecting with the Wand
Secretly Loading a Small Ball into a Cup
From Finger Palm
Direct from Palm
The Tip Over Load
Loading a Nested or Stacked Cup
Stealing from a Tabled Cup
Two Finger Steal
Simply Holding Inside
Two Finger Steal and Spin
Stealing from Between Cups
Little Finger Retention/Steal
Nesting Rolling Steal
Fundamental Skill No 2 Timing
Opening the Routine
Opening Positions
One Ahead
Two Ahead
Three Ahead
Four Ahead
Other Options
Opening Sequences
One Ahead Return Opening
One Ahead Penetration Sequence
Three Ahead Production Sequence
Ammar's Opening Production
Body Sequences
Miller - Sequence No . 1
Miller - Sequence No . 2
Classic Gathering in Middle
All Gather One at a Time
Three Gather on Tops of Cups
Shower of Balls
Click Move Sequence
Two-None-Two Sequence
Reappearing Inside a Stack 67
Mastering the Final Load
Directions for Misdirecting
When Standing, Where Do the Final Loads Go?
Natural Pockets
Special Pockets
Edge of the Coat
Coordinated Timing of Both Hands
The Loading Hand
Holding the Cup
Ending Sequences
Classic Elimination Sequence
Vernon's Sophisticated Elimination Sequence
Ending Rhythms
The Engaged Spectator Ending
Creative Loading Systems
The Dai Vernon Cups and Balls Routine
What Might Vernon Have Done Differently
Now, Here's What You Need To Do
Michael Arnmar's Stand-up Cups and Balls
Producing the Balls
Three vanishes
Elimination Phase One
Elimination Phase Two
Dominique Duvivier . France
Mike Rogers . United States
Kate Medvedeva . Russia
Eric DeCamps . United States
Shankar Junior . India
Joachim Solberg . Denmark
Bob Sheets . United States
Gazzo-Great Britain
Tom Mullica . United States
Paul Gertner . United States
Johnny Ace Palmer . United States
Tommy Wonder . The Netherlands
Michael Skinner . United States
Johnny Thompson . United States
Bruce Cervon . United States
David Williamson . United States
Aldo Colombini . United States
Jonathan Pendragon
The Delaporte Cups and Balls Table


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CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new type of durable, environmentally-benign blue pigment discovered at Oregon State University has also been found to have unusual characteristics in reflecting heat - it's a "cool blue" compound that could become important in new approaches to saving energy in buildings.
The compound, which has now received patent approval, was discovered about three years ago almost by chance, as OSU scientists were studying some materials for their electrical properties.
Its potential use to help reduce heat absorption on the roofs and walls of buildings - which is an evolving field of considerable interest in warm regions where cooling is a major expense - adds another role for the material, which is now being considered for various commercial applications.
"This pigment has infrared heat reflectivity of about 40 percent, which is significantly higher than most blue pigments now being used," said Mas Subramanian, an OSU professor of chemistry who discovered the compound.
"The more we discover about the pigment, the more interesting it gets," Subramanian said. "We already knew it had advantages of being more durable, safe and fairly easy to produce. Now it also appears to be a new candidate for energy efficiency."
"Cool roofing," in which paints are used to reflect significant portions of the sun's heat and thereby reduce cooling costs, is an important new trend in "green" construction and energy efficiency, experts say. Such reflective coatings also are more aesthetically pleasing, have less thermal degradation, reduce the "heat island" effect in cities, lower peak energy demand, and reduce air pollution due to lower energy use and power plant emissions.
"We're seeking licensing partners for this invention right now," said Mary Phillips, associate director of the Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development at OSU. "We believe it can contribute to new energy efficiency solutions around the world."
In general, any darker color of the type often used for roofs, houses, automobiles or other applications will tend to absorb more heat. But some compounds, like the one discovered at OSU, have dark tones but also the ability to reflect heat in the infrared spectrum, which is responsible for most of the heat energy absorbed from sunlight.
The material created at OSU, researchers say, is probably the best blue pigment humans have produced since ancient times - going back to efforts by the Egyptians, the Han dynasty in China and Mayan cultures. Blue pigments have been sought through history but often had serious drawbacks, such as decaying quickly, being toxic, costly or carcinogenic.
In research funded by the National Science Foundation, OSU scientists discovered this material by coincidence while they were looking for something else.
Some manganese compounds came out of a 2,000 degree Fahrenheit oven transformed into a beautiful blue, which researchers later determined was due to an unusual "trigonal bipyramidal coordination" of their molecules that changed when exposed to extreme heat.
Research will continue at OSU on the heat reflectance capabilities of the new compound and the underlying molecular structure responsible for it, scientists said.
Mas Subramanian, 541-737-8235
Click photos to see a full-size version. Right click and save image to download.


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Italeri model kits have been one of the most well-known brands of model kits the hobby has known. Primarily focusing on military might, Italeri models offer modelers the kits they love, recreating the ships, planes, choppers, and tanks that shaped the borders of the world today. Italeri also produces kits for the figures and accessories that bring the scenes to life, from soldiers to fuel tanks and the bunkers and towers that form the battlefield. Modelers that wish to create more than model, Italeri makes it happen. Browse ModelCars today and start creating your model today.
Why Choose ModelCars.com
Connect With Us
Get HelpCustomer CareStore Location(718) 267-7026
3801 23rd Avenue, Suite 407, Astoria NY, 11105
©2002-2020 Italeri Model Kits | ModelCars.com


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Yellow Stone Mexican Blanket
$ 35.00
Woven by artisans in Tlaxcala, Mexico—a region known for crafting these blankets for centuries—this Mexican blanket is made of a cotton, polyester, and acrylic blend. The combination of these fabrics provides maximum durability while still maintaining softness. This yellow, white, and charcoal throw blanket is perfect for lounging at the beach, hosting a picnic, a throw blanket, yoga accessory, or even a beach bonfire wrap.
Dimensions: 48" x 70"


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|System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC*
|Dev: Ubisoft
|Pub: Ubisoft
|Release: March 19, 2013
|Players: 1
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
Another frustrating thing about Episode 2 is that it keeps you in the dark as to what The Tyranny of King Washington is. Obviously all of these events take place off of the main Assassin's Creed timeline, but how, exactly, do they exist? Is the Animus misfiring? Is it a dream Connor had? A dream Desmond is having? Hopefully these questions will be answered in Episode 3, but so far we have precisely zero hints. By ignoring these issues, the developers have passed up a chance to entice us and make us think.
And it's not like Tyranny has intrigue to spare. The very promising core idea here—George Washington as king and maniac—hasn't really spawned any amazing storytelling or clever historical twists. Oddly enough, we've seen very little of King Washington himself, though presumably he'll be the boss of Episode 3.
I was on the fence with Episode 1. With Episode 2 I've made up my mind: The Tyranny of King Washington is not worth your $30. At most, I'd recommend waiting for a steep discount. The story isn't that impressive, the gameplay tweaks are all cribbed from other franchises, the episodes are short and spaced a month apart, and apparently we won't get any big new areas.
It could have been nice to spend more time in Connor's world, especially given that Assassin's Creed III won't spawn a bunch of spinoff games the way that its numerical predecessor did. But The Tyranny of King Washington does not do the trick, so fans will need to wait for Assassin's Creed IV, due later this year, for their next real fix.
Robert VerBruggen
Contributing Writer
Date: March 21, 2013
Game Features:


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A new gold rush is sweeping the country — only this time the speculators are looking to get fat off the $4 billion home foreclosure industry by promising banks a streamlined and low-cost method to kick folks out of their homes.
In the last two years, as the mortgage meltdown intensified, four companies have gone public or filed papers to go public — each looking to get their hands on cash to help grow into a national powerhouse quickly to take advantage of the soft housing market.
Buying shares of these companies is like shorting the housing market — sort of giving the average investor a chance to be a mini-John Paulson, the hedge fund mogul who made billions betting against the housing market in 2007. There were roughly 2.9 million foreclosures in 2009 and there are currently 6 million homeowners 60 days or more delinquent on their mortgage.
The companies — DJSP Enterprises, which saw revenues grow 31 percent last year, Altisource Portfolio Solutions, which reported a 182 percent jump in profits last year, and Lender Processing Services, whose $2.4 billion in revenue was up 29 percent last year — each offer a technology platform that links mortgage lender clients on one end and law firms clients on the other.
A fourth company, Prommis Solutions, which swung to a $7.9 million profit in 2009 from a loss in 2008, recently filed papers to go public.
The four companies profit, in large part, from the high volume of mortgage defaults — collecting fees from banks for each referral and from law firms, which file the foreclosure actions. In fact, the companies warn that a turnaround in the housing market or additional mortgage-modification plans from Washington could chill their profits.
Last week, shares of DJSP Enterprises got slammed, falling 25 percent on Friday, to $6.46, a 52-week low, after the company lowered its guidance for 2010 in the wake of a drop in the number of foreclosures.
It's a strange, new sector of the housing finance sector, where bad news for America fattens the bottom lines for these companies, and good news for beleaguered homeowners knocks the stuffing — and dollars — from their bottom lines.


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The adfree.exe is a NNAdFree Application.
This file is part of Net Nanny's Ad-Free. Adfree.exe is developed by LookSmart, Ltd. Adfree.exe is usually located in the %PROGRAM_FILES% sub-folder and its usual size is 147,456 bytes.
The adfree.exe process is safe, and you can safely disable it.
Author: LookSmart, LtdProcess: NNAdFree ApplicationPart Of: Net Nanny's Ad-FreeCommon path(s): subfolder in %PROGRAM_FILES%Filesize(s): 147,456 bytes, 75,776 bytes
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