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Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, the U.S. men's national team's all-time leader in goals and assists, announced Thursday his plans to retire following the 2014 Major League Soccer season.
"It's bittersweet for me," Donovan said at a packed news conference Thursday at StubHub Center in Carson. "As I tell people and say it here, there is a sadness, but I am also equally excited for what's to come. I've been doing this for quite a long time, so the time is right for me."
Donovan, 32, said he came to the decision before the Galaxy played the Seattle Sounders on July 28. Feeling his passion for the game dwindle over the course of the season, the forward continued to play because he felt "obligated" to do so.
But after settling on his decision, it felt "like a weight being lifted off my shoulders," he said.
"When that obligation part goes away, it was relieving," Donovan said. "I could just enjoy it as a player, almost like a kid. I know that sounds simple and it sounds easy to say, but that was a big thing for me. It's allowed me to really enjoy myself, and that's what I want, three or four months of really enjoying myself and playing well instead of a couple years of mediocrity and not being passionate about it."
The Galaxy shut out the Sounders, 3-0, with Donovan involved in all three goals, scoring one and assisting on the others.
On Wednesday in the MLS All-Star game, he was named Most Valuable Player as he helped the MLS to a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich. He scored the winning goal in the 70th minute.
Donovan is widely regarded as the best-ever U.S. men's soccer player, playing in three World Cups. His five World Cup goals are the most by any U.S. player.
In addition to international success, he has an MLS-record 138 goals and is a five-time MLS Cup champion.
"He's accomplished everything an American player can accomplish at this point in time," Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. "But on top of that he's a first-class person."
Although his legacy puts him among the greatest soccer players in the nation, Donovan said he hopes he is remembered more for the relationships he built with his teammates, coaches and fans than the goals he scored.
But before he ends his career, he wants to add one more accomplishment to his resume: another MLS championship.
"I want to go out as a champion," Donovan said. "As far as the championship part goes, I will put everything I have into that and I will make sure that if we don't win it, then I go down fighting."
See more on the 100 Percent Soccer blog.


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The Plow is a group of guys who remember what metal was, way back when metal started. Taking influences from High On Fire, Mastodon, Sleep, and the kings of doom, Black Sabbath; the Plow has developed a monstrous sound that serves as a worthy tribute to the members' favorite bands.
Each member of the Plow was born and raised in the same city. (Except the drummer, we're not sure where he's from.) The band came together after each member paid more than a decade of dues playing covers or original music in bars where beer is usually the main attraction.
The Plow is an all original band that doesn't take itself too seriously. But their skull crushing music is nothing to be taken lightly.
With their first album due at the end of April 2011, the world has little time to prepare for the rumble of the Plow.
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How Do Our Drought Conditions Affect Our Wildlife?
by Ro Wauer
Many of our wild animals have a very difficult time during drought conditions. Most are depended on available waterholes and/or birdbaths. Exceptions include a few lizards and small rodents. For those of us that provide plenty available water in our own yards, we cannot help notice the increased use of those artificial waterholes. But for wildlife species without access to such water, they may take one of several actions. Those species that are extremely mobile, such as some birds, they move out of the area altogether. Some other species may be able to move short distances to where they can find water. Our many rivers in Central Texas may act as sponges for those that are able to get that far.
Drought conditions can and often does lead to the death of some wildlife species. When water is not available, wildlife often goes into a sort of depression. Birds may react by being less aggressive on their territories, they may sing only part of the normal time, and they become less active in general. Those that do manage to nest often produce less than a normal clutch, and the fledglings, too, may be less healthy. Birds often are able to do pretty well during the nesting season if they are able to find adequate food to feeding the nestlings. The majority of their diet that time of year is insects that in turn are more often than not dependent upon vegetation. Severe drought conditions, of course, can greatly limit the available insects.
What about the mammals? They too must adapt to abnormal conditions. They may be less aggressive and spent the majority of their time finding food, oftentimes in locations where they might not utilize at other times. For instance, deer will spend more time grazing along roadsides where additional moisture from the roadways tends to support roadside grasses. And some of the mammals that normally are active only at night may need to spend more daylight hours in search for food. Drought conditions also produce other behavioral changes. Some species, such as some rodents, can go into a semi-hibernation mode.
Reptiles and amphibians also become less active in drought conditions. Many of these individuals seek shelter below ground and can aestivate for long periods of time. Like rodents, their metabolism can decline to a point that they are barely alive.
Butterflies are also greatly affected by arid condition. But unlike most mammals and birds, they are able to hibernate (known as diapause) and wait for a change in weather conditions. Although many butterfly species possess a life cycle of a year or less, they are able to diapause for several years. Some species diapause as larvae and can remain in that stage for five to seven years. And those individuals normally will require some significant change, such as heavy and constant rainy conditions, for them to move into the next stage in their life cycle.
Butterfly populations in South Texas are currently very low, when both species and numbers are far below normal. My garden, that will produce 25 to 35 species on a "normal" day in May, has recently only produced 10 to 20 species per day, and only a fraction of the normal numbers. And that number is as high as it is because of the constant watering of the many flowering plants that attract butterflies. Outside the watered garden, the fields and roadsides, even though recent sprinkles have finally produced an assortment of wildflowers, butterfly numbers have not adequately recovered. It will take considerable more moisture before butterfly populations return to normal.


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The Minimum Viable Product - a tool for exposing value
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In a recent interview onVenture Hacks (Advice for Entrepreneurs) commentator Eric Ries discussed the concept of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – doing "just enough" to meet customer needs in order to get a product THAT PEOPLE WILL PAY FOR to market as soon as possible. As Reis says:
The minimum viable product is that product which has just those features and no more that allows you to ship a product that early adopters see and, at least some of whom resonate with, pay you money for, and start to gave you feedback on.
He contrasts this with the fairly typical "build every feature we can think of" scattergun approach :
But the problem with that is you won't get any feedback until you've already built all those different products.
All those different features, so you ship this product with a ton of features, and generally, by the time it's done, it's too late to make sure that you are on the right track.
Focusing on the minimum viable product is useful because you can basically say, "look, our vision is to build a product that solves this core problem for customers, these kind of general feature areas, and we think that for the people who are early adopters for that kind of solution, they will be the most forgiving".
And they will fill in their minds the features that aren't quite there if we give them the core, tent-pole features that point the direction of where we're trying to go.
I'll have entrepreneurs come up to me and say, "But hold on, my customers don't know what they want. If I ask them 'Do you want this thing?' They might say no when the answer is really 'Yes.'"
Unfortunately, that's an excuse that is used way too often, but there are situations where it's true. The judgment call is; what really is the minimum set? In some cases like in entertainment products it might actually require you to build an early prototype, or a mockup, or even version one of the product with the minimum possible set of features that you think could go.
The nice thing about minimum feature set is you can always try intermediate points to ask yourself, "Am I at the minimum feature set yet? Am I at the minimum feature set yet?"
As long as you're not afraid of the false negative, that is, if you don't get discouraged because you've built your first paper prototype of it and shown it to people and nobody wanted it. That can't mean that you give up because, "Oh, forget it, we'll never make it." You've got to say, "OK, well then let's iterate some more."
If you keep iterating at it, you keep making it a little bit more sophisticated, at a certain point after you've been through 10 iterations, that you still got no uptake whatsoever, and the feedback you're getting from customers is still a yawn, you might say to yourself, "You know what? We're not moving in the right direction. In fact, we're past the point of minimum viable product. This just isn't a viable product."
I now think about that rather than as a linear sequence, I actually think about it as a big network. The question is; just for any given feature, in what path should you route it through that network? Different features should be routed differently, just like on the Internet we route packets differently as necessary
There's one link on one key page that notifies them that they can go do this other thing or at a key moment they receive an email, even though the feature might be wide and complicated.
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MVP, meet MFF
Stuart Stern
But, will a customer pay to know a product is not viable?
Francisco Jose Peredo Noguez
For example, for custom outsourced development, it is also very hard, because (so far in my experience) no client is interested in a company that tells them: Sorry, the new payroll/purschase orders/ecommerce site you want to build is "not viable". They are looking for companies that answer "yes, we can do it".
For inhouse development it is even worse, because this kind of things are generally aready budgeted and approved since the begining, and the only expected outcome is success (so if after some interations your answer is "this is not viable" they will fire you, and hire something that says it is viable, even if the project ands up being a black hole that sucks the company in to project hell)
Companies do not recognize the value of eairly failure
Francisco Jose Peredo Noguez
Re: But, will a customer pay to know a product is not viable?
Keith Moore
YAGNI for Product Design
Andy Dent
If you regard design as a continuum, as I do, the same principles should be applied everywhere.
My variant on MVP is Imagine the Advertising Campaign - if a feature isn't going to support the core message in your imagined advert of the product then it is a candidate for culling.


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SWITCH - Bluetooth SPEAKER by Native Union
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SWITCH by Native Union is a 3 way portable Bluetooth® speaker; portable Bluetooth® speaker, conference call unit and mobile phone charger that allows users to wirelessly enjoy an unmatched sound quality experience. Easily pairs wirelessly to your Bluetooth® devices.
- Professional Conference Call Unit - A professional conference call solution allows you to take calls hands-free or in a group. The full-duplex microphone ensures clarity of voice, perfect for use with VoIP applications and video calling.
- Mobile Phone Charger - SWITCH is perfect for when on the go, as it features a battery (1800mAh) that acts as a portable phone charger to charge your USB mobile devices. It can effortlessly alternate between music and calls for up to 14 hours at a time.
- Portable Bluetooth ® Speaker - Wirelessly enjoy your music , movies and games. SWITCH is powered by three speakers, ensuring optimal sound quality whatever your music taste and take calls from over 30 feet away from your Bluetooth ® devices.
- Award Winning Design - The SWITCH features an intuitive volume wheel , inspired by the hi-fi audio systems. SWITCH has received widespread recognition by winning numerous awards from the global design community.
- Custom tuned for exceptional audio clarity
- High performance bass and sub-woofer
- Portable power bank - recharge your device anywhere
- Plays up to 14 hours of music
- Full duplex microphone with conference call function
- Navigate your device while talking
- Use vertically or horizontally - you decide
- Perfect for VoIP applications
|Native Union
|Hong Kong
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Panasonic's new North American headquarters in Newark has long been hailed as a model of sustainable design and a project that's helped energize New Jersey's largest city. And this morning, CEO Joe Taylor touted a new credential for the gleaming tower.
"This building is also another step in our transformation to a B2B company," Taylor told employees, business leaders and public officials at a ceremony inside the riverfront office, built by SJP Properties and Matrix Development Group.
Some 1,000 employees began to occupy the new headquarters in July, but the dignitaries gathered today to officially open its doors. During a speech, Taylor noted only about 20 percent of the company's North American revenue comes from consumer electronics; the rest comes from business-to-business solutions for customers in fields such as the automotive industry, avionics, and sports and entertainment venues.
He pointed to the new "innovation center" in the ground floor of the 12-story building, an exhibition space along McCarter Highway with products such as appliances, in-flight entertainment systems and vehicle consoles on display. The space is Panasonic's "first innovation center outside Japan where we can display technologies across our portfolios, across our breadth of customers," Taylor said.
"We're going to use this primarily to educate our business partners," he said. "But it's also my expectation that community organizations will be able make use of seeing the kinds of technologies that major corporations around the world are offering."
The $200 million development project was aided by a $102.4 million Urban Transit Hub tax credit that helped lure the electronics giant from its former base in Secaucus. It also helped spark the creation of the Grow New Jersey program after Panasonic's former landlord, Hartz Mountain, briefly tried to block it from moving some 10 miles to Newark.
Early last year, Grow New Jersey emerged as an option to aid business growth in certain suburban areas, and it was one of the surviving programs in the overhaul of state incentive programs that's awaiting Gov. Chris Christie's signature.
Today's event was held on the 54th anniversary of the establishment of Panasonic Corp.'s establishment in North America, Taylor said.
During his own remarks, Christie recalled that as stakeholders were trying to finalize Panasonic's move to Newark, "there were some difficult moments in getting this done."
"That means sometimes you have to fight … to be able to protect what the Legislature intended and what we want for growing our state, and not allow other people's personal interests to get in the way of growth for a city like Newark," Christie said.
Panasonic will occupy 10 floors in the 340,000-square-foot facility, which is a block from Newark Penn Station. Taylor said today that employees receive subsidies to take mass transit to work.


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So I had a family dessert request for pie. A chocolatey creamy kind of pie, and so I consulted my cookbooks since I am not a spur-of-the-moment baker type and decided on a standard recipe from the Betty Crocker's New Cookbook (1996 printing).
I had my trusty kitchen hound beside me:
I had an apron on, Martha had the chef hat. Note her stunning new white eyelashes now that she's an older lady. We sallied forth in the kitchen.
This pie is a type of icebox pie, which was OK with me, since it is now summery around here and I don't feel like firing up the oven much. I adapted the recipe to be gluten-free and combined a couple of Betty's variations on Caramel-Peanut Butter Pie Supreme and came up with this version of:
Pie Crust:
1 chocolate cookie crumb crust: (next time I would use a peanut butter cookie crumb base to go better with the flavors in this insanely sweet confection)
I smashed up most of one (6.3 oz.) box of Enjoy Life (GF) Crunchy Double Chocolate Cookies (used 11 of the 14 cookies inside) mixed with 3 Tbsp. melted butter and pressed that into 9 inch glass pie plate. Baked 10 mins. at 350 degrees F. Let it cool.
Pie Filling:
1 (11 oz.) bag vanilla caramels, the soft chewy kind. Check that they are GF (Kraft brand was). Reward the person who unwraps 30 of them with the extras left in the bag (about 5 or 6)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted briefly in a frying pan until the smell of the nuts hits you. Don't let burn!
2 T. butter
2 T. water
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 c. heavy cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
While crust is cooling, melt caramels in a sauce pan with butter and water, stirring constantly. As soon as they are completely melted, pour over cooled crust. Sprinkle on toasted pecans. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until hardened, about 1 hour.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter together until smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup whipped cream and spoon over caramel layer. Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Slather remaining whipped cream over the top of the pie.
A super-sweet candy pie, which I was not so keen on, but the rest of my family raved about and snuck slices of for the next couple of days. It's sort of like those Seven Layer Bars in a pie plate. Next time I would leave out the caramel layer and make a peanut butter cookie crust instead.
Martha got excited by the task of licking the peanut butter jar clean after we had used up its contents. She lost her toque in the frenzy.
And then the grand finale of the pie.
Verdict: Pretty easy to make, but ridiculously, over-the-top sweet, so I wouldn't make this version instead. I think a simpler Icebox Peanut Butter Pie would be better. I think my dentist would concur.
Still, I am sending a slice over to Beth Fish Reads, a marvelous blog combo of books and cooking, and her weekly blog event, Weekend Cooking. Head on over to see what other clever and creative cooks made in their kitchens this past weekend.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Candy Pie
5 comments:
- Foodycat said...
It looks like a stunning pie! But much cuter is your kitchen assistant.
- Monday, 10 June, 2013
- Debra Eliotseats said...
What a great sous chef!
- Monday, 10 June, 2013
- Beth F said...
Love your kitchen help!!! That does sound sweet -- but really good.
- Tuesday, 11 June, 2013
- Tina said...
What a sweet baby you have in your kitchen. I can't imagine my life without a canine companion :-)
- Wednesday, 12 June, 2013
- Laurie C said...
I may have to be going gluten-free myself, so enjoyed seeing this post! Although I'm not a fan of cream pies, it's good to know that there are going to be plenty of fattening desserts I'll still be able to have!
- Thursday, 13 June, 2013
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Tokoto, McAdoo star as No. 12 Tar Heels roll past Oakland 84-61 without Hairston, McDonald
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – J.P. Tokoto knew he'd have a bigger role while No. 12 North Carolina waits to learn when — or if — leading scorer P.J. Hairston or senior guard Leslie McDonald can play this season.
Tokoto looked ready in his first career start Friday night.
He scored a career-high 13 points — all in a dominating opening half for UNC — to help the Tar Heels beat Oakland 84-61 despite playing without Hairston and McDonald due to NCAA eligibility concerns.
"Just helping my team out wherever we need it," Tokoto said. "Coach is telling me I'm just going to have to focus on not turning the ball over ... but we were rolling in the first half and that's what we like to do — just get out and run and share the ball. And that's what we're going to focus on this year."
Tokoto, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, has always possessed crowd-pleasing athleticism and leaping ability. But against the Golden Grizzlies, Tokoto displayed an improved jump shot after an offseason of work with assistant coach Hubert Davis and glided across the court with ease in his starting role.
Tokoto averaged 2.6 points last season, never played more than 19 minutes and didn't even reach 10 minutes in any of his last 13 games as a freshman. Against Oakland (0-1), Tokoto played 30 minutes and knocked down a 3-pointer shortly before the break — he hit one all of last year — that gave the Tar Heels (1-0) a 58-21 lead at halftime.
He even threw a pair of passes for alley-oop dunks in the first half.
"He's played really well," coach Roy Williams said. "He's been a great rebounder, he's been a great defensive player. His shot is better. We want him to understand it's a work in progress, it's going to get better and better and better."
The easy win was a welcome sight after all the turmoil that has hovered over the program since the summer.
Hairston — a 6-foot-6 junior who passed on the NBA draft — was cited by authorities in May and June while driving a rental vehicle linked to a felon and Durham party promoter, raising the possibility of an improper benefits violation. The school hasn't specified McDonald's issue, though UNC had to send a letter this summer ordering a company that makes designer mouth guards to stop using McDonald on a website promoting its brand.
McDonald had made at least one social media post last year about wearing one of the company's mouth guards. NCAA rules generally prohibit athletes from endorsing or promoting a company or product.
The school had said Thursday that neither player would suit up due to the "ongoing" review. Their absences also put more pressure on sophomore Marcus Paige to hit from outside while playing the wing instead of his normal point guard role.
Paige responded by scoring 14 points and hitting four 3-pointers. James Michael McAdoo had 21 points and nine rebounds while looking more aggressive and efficient than he had last season.
"We're working extremely hard to be the best team we can be, regardless of who's on the floor," Paige said. "Coach always says that regardless of who's on the team, North Carolina's still got to play tonight. And tonight we really came together and just decided we were going to come out and try to execute perfectly."
Williams found little to complain about in the first half, with the Tar Heels going on a 17-2 run to take a 19-point lead less than 9 minutes in. They nearly doubled that margin by halftime by shooting 74.2 percent (23 for 31) in their opening blitz, the highest percentage for any half in 11 seasons under Williams.
While the Tar Heels were rolling, Oakland shot 21 percent (6 for 29) in the half and couldn't match UNC's early energy.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe, in his 30th season, said his team was "shell-shocked" early.
"They made tough shots but they also got a lot of easy ones," Kampe said. "And then we start taking bad shots, which was leading to runouts and easy plays. And we couldn't stop the snowball from going."
Travis Bader scored 18 for the Golden Grizzlies, whose difficult first month will include games against No. 2 Michigan State, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 22 UCLA.
UNC freshman Kennedy Meeks added 10 points and five rebounds in his first college game. The Tar Heels finished with 25 assists on 33 baskets.
Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap


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Message Board
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Talk about the novels, new and used books that Garland has written!
Author Garland's Book Reviews
A Line in the Sand
Living in the tiny, remote settlement of Gonzales, Texas, in 1835, pioneer farm girl Lucinda Lawrence has just celebrated her thirteenth birthday. Her father is against war with Mexico - he learned the horrors of war firsthand during the War of 1812. Lucinda's brothers find the idea of war glorious - her oldest brother, Willis, is eager to fight against the oppresive Mexicans. Lucinda's mother just doesn't want to lose any more children - her youngest, a...


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Hostess Brands Inc has received a "flood of inquiries" from a range of parties interested in buying several of its brands, the snack cake maker's lawyer said on Wednesday.
Continue Reading Below
At a hearing in the U.S. bankruptcy court in White Plains, New York, the lawyer Heather Lennox of Jones Day said Hostess expects to find "stalking horse" bidders for some brands within a few weeks, with court-supervised auctions to follow.
Joshua Scherer, a partner at Perella Weinberg Partners which is advising Hostess, said the company was in "active dialogue" over the Drake's brand with one "very interested" party, which had taken a three-hour tour of a New Jersey plant on Tuesday.
Scherer did not identify the party by name, but said interested entities included regional bakery companies, national competitors, retail customers, private equity firms and consumer products companies.
Earlier this year, Hostess received six bids for the whole company, Scherer said, but "none of them was actionable."
Beginning in the summer, a sale process was begun, he said, to see whether individual brands could be sold to raise funds to help exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
But in the last couple of days, since Hostess said it planned to liquidate, it has received over two dozen inbound calls, Scherer said, adding that more than 50 parties have signed non-disclosure agreements.
As for the value of Hostess, Scherer said Hostess could be worth $2.3 billion to $2.4 billion in a normal bankruptcy, an amount equal to its annual revenue. But he said he would expect a discount in this case since plants have already been closed.


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iGuitar.USB - Watch the video demo
iGuitar.USB debuts as an exciting new creative tool and input device for your computer music studio.
Why USB?
Just plug the iGuitar into the USB port any computer and get direct access any your favorite computer based recording program or guitar effects program.
- Built-in USB digital audio connects your guitar directly to you computer
- Record instantly in your favorite application such as Garageband. Logic or Cakewalk
- Play directly into the latest software programs such as Guitar Rig by Native Instruments and Amplitube Live by IK Multimedia
- Line level signal - No external audio-interface pre-amplification required
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- Bus powered- no 9V battery necessary
- Available on all models (most are in stock)
iGuitar Video
Check out the new iGuitar.USB video demo recorded on the John Lennon Educational Bus


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Then you'll just go to bed hungry! Been there. I'm going to give all your toys away! Said that. Or if you're anything like Dafney Amilcar-Rodriguez, you've actually done it. "I made my son pack up his toys and put them on the curb for garbage day," Amilcar-Rodriguez, an Albany, NY, mom, admits. (Don't call child services just yet: His toys were not trashed.)
"I don't even remember what he did, but in the heat of the moment, I really didn't have the patience," she says.
"You have to remember, children aren't melting down to upset you," says Lynne Reeves Griffin, author of Negotiation Generation: Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment. "Children are doing it because they can't control those emotions." And unsurprisingly, threatening, yelling, or ignoring your crying child is only bound to make a bad situation worse.
"If you're not calm, you're going to say all those things you know you shouldn't say," explains Claudia M. Gold, M.D., author of Keeping Your Child in Mind: Overcoming Defiance, Tantrums, and Other Everyday Behavior Problems By Seeing the World Through Your Child's Eyes. So take a minute to pull yourself together. Once you're levelheaded, try replacing those errant threats and empty promises you're used to making with these expert-recommended tantrum-tamers instead.
- Mood Swings in Children
- Toddler Discipline Tricks that Work
- Tailoring Discipline to Your Kid's Personality
HE SAYS "I don't want to clean up!"
YOU SAY "Then I'll just throw away your toys."
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "Hey, if you pick up your toys really fast, you'll get a check on the hand!"
Check on the hand, gold star, bonus point: They're all the same idea. It's always better to offer up a positive consequence for good behavior rather than a negative consequence for bad behavior.
Harvey Karp, M.D., creator of the DVD and book The Happiest Toddler on the Block, emphasizes that incentives don't have to be tangible to work. He recommends giving your child a check on the hand whenever he does something good. Count how many checks your child has at bedtime and recount what each check was for. It's a no-fail way to ensure you send your kid to bed with a dose of self-confidence, and he'll wake up with a reminder of those good feelings.
SHE SAYS "I don't want to go home!"
YOU SAY "Bye, I'll see you later."
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "I know. The playground is fun. But it's almost time to go. Would you like to go home now and play with your toys or take three more slides and then go home?"
When you pretend to walk off, prepare to do one of two things: Console or run. Some children will become even more distraught when a parent threatens to leave, but others, like Sasha Higgins's 2-year-old daughter, Olivia, will say "See ya!" "When I tell Olivia that I'm leaving her or say 'bye-bye,' she just walks away," explains the Albany, NY, mom. "I wind up chasing her. It never works."
Here's a tactic that will: Acknowledge your child's emotions, then present a compromise. "Before you say no or take your child away from the situation, it's important to validate what she's feeling and her desire to stay there," says Dr. Karp. Next, lay out a few options. This will help give your child some feelings of control and power, and in turn, it will make her more likely to cooperate with you," explains Dr. Karp.
Griffin also recommends doing some prep work before your next trip to the playground. Explain that you can stay at the park only for a certain period of time. Tell your child you'll tap her on the shoulder and that means one more slide or one more swing. When that time comes, stick to your word and leave.
- Mood Swings in Children
- Toddler Discipline Tricks that Work
- Tailoring Discipline to Your Kid's Personality
HE SAYS "You're a poopyhead!"
YOU SAY "Wait until I tell your father."
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "I'm really frustrated, too, but we're going to figure this out."
We often deflect authority to our partner when we're feeling helpless. But surrendering it suggests to your child that you're not in control, and that's scary for a toddler. If you need a minute or two after your kid calls you a name, take it. It's better to pause than to say something that will only make your kid panic more. "Every child needs to know when he's having a tantrum that it's a safe space," says Maureen Healy, author of Growing Happy Kids. "The most important thing is that he knows you love him no matter what and that you are there to help him."
If you do feel like you need backup, don't invoke almighty Dad in a menacing way. Instead, Dr. Gold suggests saying something like "We're having a tough time now, but maybe when Daddy gets home, we'll calm down and be able to think better about this." This way, you're not creating an us-versus-you dynamic but using your spouse in a positive way as reinforcement.
SHE SAYS "No! No! No!"
YOU SAY "I'll do anything if you just…"
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID Nothing.
No, really. Don't say a word. "There is a time for speaking, and there is a time for action," says Griffin. If the tantrum has reached the point where you're willing to do anything, it's time to take the reins and get things under control. If that means picking up your child and her shoes and putting them on yourself, do it. If that means leaving your shopping cart in the middle of the dairy aisle, then sayonara, Go-Gurt. "In the moments when your child is most emotional and overwhelmed, you really should stop talking and start doing because she isn't capable of doing much for herself," says Griffin.
- Mood Swings in Children
- Toddler Discipline Tricks that Work
- Tailoring Discipline to Your Kid's Personality
HE SAYS "I'm not listening to you. I'm not talking to you. Leave me alone!"
YOU SAY "If you're going to have a tantrum, go to your room and come out when you're finished."
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "You're so mad. You say 'I'm not listening to you, Mommy. I'm not talking to you.' But it's OK. I'll be right here."
New York City mom Alicia Harper has a master's degree in psychological counseling, but she admits all that training sometimes goes right out the window when her 4-year-old son, Aiden, is uncooperative. "I've said things like 'Please go to the bedroom to throw a tantrum, and when you're finished, you can come back out here with me,'" Harper explains. "Depending on his mood, it'll set him off even more."
Exiling your kid isn't a viable option, which is why Dr. Karp devised the "kind ignore." Rather than sending your child to time-out or walking away, simply narrate your child's words back to him, and then turn away to do something else (but stay close by). Reassure him that you'll be there and give him a few seconds to calm down. Some kids will require two or three narrations before they get over it, but this technique allows your child to see that you care and that you don't reject him for having these feelings. Walking away will only make him feel more ashamed and alone.
SHE SAYS "I'm going to hit you!"
YOU SAY "Your brother never hits."
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "No hitting. It's OK to feel angry, but it's not OK to hit."
First things first: You have to deal with the hitting. "Setting limits is particularly important around behavior that will hurt other people or themselves, so a very firm 'no hitting' is in order here," says Dr. Gold. But just as important, you want to validate your child's emotion. "There is a difference between bad feelings and bad behavior," says Christine Carter, Ph.D., author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents. In the moments after a tantrum, especially a physical one, you may be tempted to just forget the whole thing, but once your child has calmed down, you want to make sure she understands it's OK to feel frustrated and angry, but it's not OK to hurt someone else. Talk to your child about why she acted the way she did and what she should do differently the next time instead of getting so angry and upset. "What you do after the tantrum is so important because that's your real opportunity to teach," says Carter.
And what about that sibling comparison? Avoid it at all costs. "Parents think comparing children is a motivator, but it isn't," says Griffin. When you compare, your child doesn't get mad at you, she gets mad at her brother or sister, and ultimately you're setting the stage for sibling rivalry.
- Mood Swings in Children
- Toddler Discipline Tricks that Work
- Tailoring Discipline to Your Kid's Personality
HE SAYS "I hate broccoli!"
YOU SAY "If you eat two more bites, then you can have a cookie."
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "So what would you like instead?"
There's nothing wrong with offering a child, especially a toddler, options at the dinner table. You don't have to present a smorgasbord, but giving your child the option of broccoli, carrots, or corn will only make things easier for you. Or cut the food into tiny bits for him to try (even half a pea is OK!). "There are battles you can't win," says Dr. Karp, "and you'll almost never win the battle over broccoli."
But don't tell that to Candice Williams of Edison, NJ. She has no problem getting her 3-year-old son, Mark, to eat his veggies. Her trick? "I tell Mark that if he wants to be like the Hulk, he has to eat his broccoli. He eats it all!"
Problem is, when you trick your kid into eating vegetables, you're not teaching him how to eat healthy. If you want your child to learn the importance of fuel foods and fun foods, have that conversation before mealtime. "Never get into a head-to-head confrontation with your child while eating," recommends Dr. Gold.
SHE SAYS Boom! As in that block being thrown at your freshly painted wall—for the 15th time.
YOU SAY "How many times do I have to tell you?"
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID "I know we talked about this before and maybe you forgot, but you can't throw your blocks. Let's put them away now, and I know next time you'll remember."
As you already know, the answer to the "how many times" question is a lot. But that's because young children learn from repetition. You can say "We don't throw" a million times, but it's more impactful to pack up the blocks when your child throws them. "You have to show—rather than tell—your child," says Griffin.
But don't stop there. Reassure her that you're confident she'll remember the next time. This helps build self-esteem and gives your child a sense of trust, says Healy.
So that solves it, huh? The next time your toddler is lying on the ground freaking out, you won't retaliate with some remark you picked up from the last episode of Toddlers & Tiaras, right? Wishful thinking. You can't expect to handle every meltdown gracefully. But when all else fails, take Griffin's advice: Respond with compassion. "You'd never yell at or threaten to abandon a friend having an emotional breakdown," she says, so don't do it to your toddler, either.


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This series of dispatches chronicles the work of a mobile court in the town of Kamituga in eastern Congo, a region riven by conflict that has witnessed an appalling epidemic of rape and other sexual violence. The court, supported by the Open Society Justice Initiative, will try ten rape cases involving soldiers and policemen over the course of a two-week session.
Armed guards led the bull-necked captain into the mobile court's tent hours before the judges convened to announce the verdict in the case.
It was a hot afternoon. Captain Bwana Ntambwé—known to many Kamituga locals by his nickname, "Anderson"—was wearing two shirts. On top: army khaki, three gold captain's stars glinting on each shoulder, buttons down the front straining to girdle his beer-belly. Underneath: a red sports jersey that hung below the khaki. The two shirts were a sign that Captain Bwana Ntambwé would not be acquitted.
The accused sat patiently, shielded from the baking sun and lounging, as if under the roof of some ramshackle bar, waiting for a favorite waitress to bring him another cold bottle of the local brew. He chatted with guards in a soft, affable voice that was incongruous for a big, angry-looking officer, who might not have been angry at all. (Ntambwé had been a paymaster, not an infantry commander.) Smartly dressed women and men in leisure suits and polished shoes approached him. They shook his hand. They patted him on the back.
The army had transferred Ntambwé to Kamituga from a far-off province of the Democratic Republic of Congo known as Équateur. He had been in town for less than a year before his arrest. But in the neighborhood where he resided, a crime-ridden warren of shacks and rutty streets on the northern edge of town, Bwana Ntambwé had become a man with a reputation: he liked girls, lots of girls.
"Who doesn't like girls?" smiled one of the police officers standing behind him.
Ntambwé is just one of the soldiers and police officers on trial for rape here. Prosecutors charged him with forcing C.B., a 13-year-old girl, to have sex with him in his house one evening in late July 2010. The prosecution asserted that he had asked the victim to gather his laundry, which had dried in the sun in his yard. As the petite victim was inside the defendant's room depositing the clothes, the accused, a powerful-looking man, came in, shut the door, jacked up the volume of his radio, and threw the girl on the bed. He pressed a pillow to the victim's face to muffle her screams as he raped her. Afterward, according to the prosecution, the accused gave the presumed victim money—9,000 Congolese francs, about ten dollars—so she would not denounce him. C.B. refused the money.
Ntambwé's case before the Kamituga mobile court drew more attention than any of the others on the docket. Some local people insisted that Ntambwé was a jovial newcomer to town who had run afoul of someone seeking vengeance. Others said he had become Kamituga's bête noir and described him as a kind of sexual predator.
It was time for the verdict.
The evidence in Ntambwé's case was presented in an afternoon session a week earlier.
The presiding judge closed the hearing to the general public, saying that it was at the request of the young C.B., who did not want to testify before hundreds of people from her home town. She had good reasons.
In recent days, several unfortunate women who testified about having been raped did not enjoy the benefit of having their hearings closed to the public, perhaps because they were not savvy enough to request one. Or perhaps because they were not up against the likes of Bwana Ntambwé
Some of these victims showed the court torn undergarments and answered in detail questions of what the accused rapist had forced them to do. Despite efforts by the judges and guards to maintain order, testifying victims suffered nightmarish eruptions of mockery and laughter from the crowd—picture audience outbursts during a Jerry Springer show being held in a small revival tent.
The presiding judge in the Ntambwé trial did allow reporters to be present and permitted them to take photographs and video of the proceedings. The hearing took place in a half-finished shell of a brick building with a metal roof and a dirt-and-rock floor on the hillside above the tent. Armed guards shooed away frustrated onlookers. Curious kids carrying smaller kids on their backs peeked in until the guards hissed them away. A bleating lamb looked in, seeking its mother; a guard threw a stone to frighten it away.
"People are unhappy because they are not getting to see all the trials," said Mandrake Masudi, a police official from the town. "They have wanted to see Anderson's trial. He was a force in this town, a big man here. He thought he was above the law. His trial is a visual aid for the others who believe they can do whatever they want. The victim is very courageous. She is a hero."
Masudi called Ntambwé the "Kibibi of Kamituga," a reference to Lieutenant-Colonel Kibibi Mutuare, a notorious army commander sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after a mass rape by his men on January 1 in the town of Fizi.
Others said it was exaggeration to state that everyone in town knew about Bwana Ntambwé's reputation or that his was a special case. "People here know about the bad behavior of the police officers and soldiers," said one of the onlookers who had followed each trial. "These men seek to be dominant. They beat people. They take money, because they are miserably paid, and often they aren't paid. And they seek to have girls, and they take them. When a captain is arrested for rape, people draw the conclusion that he must be the some kind of gray eminence who is responsible for everything."
The presumed victim, C.B., stood with her guardian, a maternal aunt named Doudou, who was the concubine of Bwana Ntambwé's superior, an army colonel.
The judges first asked Bwana Ntambwé for his version of the facts. He said that on the July evening in question, the colonel arrived at his house as usual and the two men went walking around mid-afternoon before going to eat as the rains began. "I called C.B. and told her to take a key and go to put my clothes in my bedroom and bring me back the key. She did so."
Ntambwé and the colonel then went to a bar where they found Doudou: "At once Doudou said to me, 'Captain, how dare you have sex with my niece. Don't you know I am responsible for this child and I can have you arrested?'
"I got angry and went home," said Ntambwé.
As he spoke, Ntambwé was calm, not belligerent, not quarrelsome, not loud. He consistently maintained that he did not have sex with the girl.
Soldiers and policemen arrested him the next morning: "I was astonished. I wanted to speak with the prosecutor. I wanted to see colonel. One of the soldiers said, 'Why do you want to see the colonel? He is the one who has made the accusation against you.'
At 10 a.m., the colonel came to see me and said, 'I have just come from the hospital with C.B. The doctor saw that you had sex with her. If you give me $5,000, this problem can be resolved.' He came again the next day. 'How much do you have? Give even $3,500.'" The amount requested, Ntambwé said, shrank to $100.
Ntambwé testified that Madame Doudou was asking the colonel to tell her what she was supposed to say to the authorities. The defense attorney said that Ntambwé had been very close with Doudou but had had a falling out with her. He said Doudou and the colonel were attempting to set Ntambwé up, either for money or to remove him from Kamituga.
The presiding judge then called the presumed victim and asked her to tell her side of the story.
She spoke in the softest of voices. The judge called her close to the bench so she could be heard. Bwana Ntambwé listened, just beyond a gaggle of robed lawyers and an interpreter.
"It was in the evening," she began. "The captain called to me and told me to gather his dry clothes.
"When I was about to leave his bedroom, I saw him entering, and he closed the door and turned up the radio.
"It was a very big radio with two big woofers. He pulled me and tore my blouse. Then he lifted me up and threw me on his bed. He took my skirt off and tore my underwear."
One of the judges held up the torn underwear and the torn blouse.
"Then he had sex with me."
Prosecutor: "Why didn't you cry out while he was having sex with you?"
Victim: "Because he had turned up the volume of the radio."
Ntambwé denied everything damaging in the testimonies of the victim and her aunt. A defense attorney asked the court to grant him permission to call a new witness, a woman who worked at a hotel-bar where Ntambwé had spent time among Congolese Falstaffs and at least one waitress who opens beer bottles with her teeth.
The attorney said the witness was going to testify that Ntambwé had been at the bar at the very time that the victim says she was raped. This was a new alibi, one that had not figured in his statements to investigators before. The judge disallowed the witness, because Ntambwé had had months to make such a witness known. Then the defense attorney asserted that the victim had been manipulated by her aunt to testify against Ntambwé. The defense said Ntambwé had quarreled with the colonel, and this might have led to the rape accusations.
When the trial ended, Ntambwé's fate hung in the balance between the word of a 13-year-old who had exhibited ripped undergarments and his own accusations that C.B.'s aunt and his commander were taking revenge upon him. Such are many rape cases here, and elsewhere: One person's word against another's. But here there are no DNA tests and little additional medical evidence. All sides—including the state—are effectively indigent.
Congo's records system fell apart during the wars. As a result, there is a paucity of credible birth records, which are crucial because statutes governing sexual violence make sex with anyone under the age of 18 rape. In some cases, the victims and accused were orphans who did not know their own ages. With lives in the balance, it all came down to guesswork. At several points during the trials, the judges had random kids pulled from the crowd to make side-by-side comparisons with victims and accused to determine their approximate ages.
In his final words to the court, Ntambwé said, "The members of this tribunal are wise. I ask them to find me not guilty."
One week later, the sun set during a thunderstorm. Despite a drizzle, a large, quiet crowd gathered for the judgment hearing. Moist red dirt stuck to Ntambwé's flip-flops.
Guards presented arms and stood at attention, saluting. The presiding judge pronounced Ntambwé guilty as charged, sentenced him to fifteen years in Bukavu's central prison, and assessed civil damages against him: the equivalent of $10,000 in Congo's francs.
Then the judge stripped Ntambwé of his captains' rank. The guards tore off Ntambwé's stars and unbuttoned and removed his khaki uniform shirt, revealing the hidden red jersey. It was vintage Atlanta Falcons, the number 32 of a running back Ntambwé had probably never heard of, Jamal Anderson.
Nobody cheered. Nobody complained. People were slow to depart the tent. Voices repeated the words Quinze années. Quinze années. Fifteen years. Fifteen years. A number of interviewed onlookers reiterated the leitmotif of the crowd reaction to these mobile court trials: "This is a lesson. Men should behave better."
One who said so was Martine Nalubala, 30, who caught the end of the Ntambwé hearing. "But," she added, "fifteen years is a long time. It destroys the convicted person. And people can abuse this system. A woman can say you have raped her, even if you just touched her. People who have bad intentions against other persons can drum up rape accusations. Some people might do this for money. Some might do it for jealousy. Some might do it for vengeance. People have to be prevented from making false accusations."
Anderson's attorney said he would appeal.
Chuck Sudetic will be reporting from Kamituga for the duration of the trials.


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Sativa Co – Afends branded enamel pin.
- Soft enamel iron
- Size: 18mm x 18mm
- Black nickel & green
- Single rubber backing
- Packaged on raw 200gsm card stock
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Espresso, Sapore di ItaliaApril 2, 2009 at 16:38 | Posted in Amore di Italia, Bits and Pieces, Fun Reminders of Italy, Italian Cooking, Itri, Italy | 3 Comments
Tags: collections, espresso, flavor, food, Italy, Itri, taste
When I was in college (way too many years ago now) I drank tea. My mom's family was from Scotland so tea was a family thing for us, a cultural harkening back to roots. It was a staple of my life, a main food source – so much so that I could literally distinguish between brands of tea by the taste. One tea manufacturer was a bit taken aback when I wrote a letter of complaint. I knew by taste they had changed their formula, their blend, something their taste pros told them the average customer would not be able to do!
Somewhere along the way I began to drink American coffee. Maybe it was in revolt to the tea change thing but I do not remember when or why I first started to switch my allegiance. My dad drank his coffee black but I preferred cream and sugar. My grandmother always had a little container of instant coffee on her kitchen table and evaporated milk with the tin lid that made a pour spout. I really never was a fan of instant coffee.
Then I moved to Rhode Island to Providence. Dinner at the local Italian restaurants and homes of localites always always included an after-dinner small cup of espresso. And then along the way I became engaged to an Italian – you know – as in from Italy kind of Italian! Ha! That is ANOTHER whole story by itself – but suffice it to say I was now beginning to rearrange certain aspects of my life. The Corningware™ percolator was regulated to the back of the cabinet. I still remember our shopping expedition to buy my first espresso pot, a shiny aluminum Bialetti™ with that cute little fellow in black suit, striped pants, hat, and cigar! We drove to the local hardware store, a typical mom and pop store that sold much more than just nuts, bolts, and hammers. There on the shelf was row upon row of espresso pots and right next to them were espresso cups, saucers, and tiny spoons to fit the saucers. Then we were off to the grocery store to buy the coffee… And finally back to my apartment to learn to brew my first pot of espresso at home!
On our honeymoon soon after I suddenly discovered more flavors of espresso, crema, cappuccino. Our first weekend as we strolled the Mercado I reveled in the choices of espresso pots and a love affair was begun. Now my little Bialetti was going to have lots of company as I found a Napolitano, a crema, a ceramic pot with hand painted flowers set atop the metal base, and even one with a metal base with flat top to hold the four demi-cups instead of a regular pot. But my love affair did not stop with just the espresso pots. I also fell in love with espresso cups. Delicate porcelains with hand painted flowers, chunky white serviceable cups for the kitchen, clear gold toned glass square ones with the handles on the edge instead of the flat sides, the list goes on and on! Surprisingly everyone woman who came to visit the newlyweds would feel obliged to bring cups, or spoons, or espresso pot to help outfit the perfect kitchen back in America! After all the bride was expected to "serve her husband properly" when they went back home!
Now all these many years since our collection has grown. Each time we moved, the espresso pots were carefully packed and then unpacked. Kitchens were remodeled so they could be displayed on long shelves. It was never a home until those pots and espresso cups were once again the center of the kitchen! They have never been simply decorations. Each is used as the mood strikes and the occasion calls for. A petite one cup is enough for me if I am alone. There is a gleaning stainless steel we use every day for family. There is a 12 cup Bialetti™ for parties. The choice of cups suits our moods or the occasion. Each set reminds me of where we were or who we were with as I made the purchase.
American friends often ask how I can stand the taste of the strong bitter coffee. "Doesn't it keep you awake all night?" Indeed sipping a cup of espresso con latte or strong and black is restful, a de-stressor for me. I find that cup of espresso to be more enjoyable than an herbal tea when I want to sit and relax. I sit back with my cup and a good book or perhaps outside at first dawn light watching the mist rise and listening to birds. The only thing better is to be enjoying a small shot of espresso at the Bar Farnese in Itri!
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FIS is dedicated to safeguarding the spirit and evolution of snow sports and their contribution to history. Below is a series of books which have been published by the support of FIS.
100 Years of International Skiing - FIS Congress Antalya 2010
The history of skiing is full of facts and figures, names and interesting stories. This book is designed to give readers a taste of its colorful story.
Editor: FIS
Authors: E. John B. Allen, E. Theiner
Languages: English
Publication date: 2010
Skiing in Arts and Design
Skiing is both a serious sport and a cultural phenomenon. Using texts and striking pictures, the present book demonstrates how noted artists and designers have been creating items to advertise events in this sport from the very beginning.
Editor FIS, Marc Hodler Foundation
Author: Karin Rase
Languages: German, English
Publication date: 2009
Skiing in Fine Arts
Skiing in a panorama of international works of art in skiing, an unusual book for all interested in fine arts and sports.
Editor: FIS, Marc Hodler Foundation and German Ski Federation
Authors: Günter Witt, Karin Rase
Languages: English, German, French
Publication date: 2005
Edition Leipzig; ISBN: 3-361-00595-7
75 Years of Skiing History in Stamps
On occassion of its 75 anniversary, FIS published a book including a variety of 1,200 stamps related to skiing with the largest part stemming from the private collectin of British ski pioneer James Riddell.
Editor: SAS, FIS
Languages: English, German
Publication date: 2000


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Advance Tickets for Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age Available February 1
Exhibition opens February 15 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Denver—January 28, 2013—Tickets for theDenver Museum of Nature & Science's next temporary exhibition—Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age—are available beginning Friday, February 1. The exhibition'slife-size models of awe-inspiring Ice Age animals, fossil tusks and skulls, interactive videos, and hands-on activities bring this fascinating time in Earth history back to life. Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age is presented in Denver by Delta Dental. Timed tickets will be required and advance reservations are highly recommended.
The 13,000-square-foot exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to examine the differences between mammoths—beasts weighing up to eight tons, bearing tusks up to 16 feet long—and mastodons, their shorter, stockier cousins and also look at the role human predation, climate change, and other factors may have played in the eventual extinction of these giants.
Local visitors will enjoy a point of pride for Coloradans as they relive the story of the Snowmastodon Project®, the exceptional Ice Age fossil site unearthed near Snowmass Village in 2010. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a selection of fossils on display for the first time, watch a new educational video about the discovery, and hear about the science that is emerging from the study of this historic site. In addition, exhibition visitors can watch as Museum volunteers clean and prepare fossils from various Colorado dig sites.
Ticket Information
General visitors pay $21 adult, $12 junior/student (ages 3-18 or with a student ID), and $17 senior (age 65+). Ticket includes admission to both Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age and the Museum. Timed tickets will be required and advance reservations are strongly encouraged. The Museum anticipates that popular times will sell out. For additional information on pricing, including group rates, visit /mammoths-and-mastodons/
Exhibition Information
This exhibition was created by The Field Museum, Chicago.
Press Contact
Charlotte Hurley, [email protected], 303-370-6407.
About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000. Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.


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Celerino Castillo 3rdThe Atrocities of a Pale Rider- John D. NegroponteThu Feb 17, 2005 16:4064.140.158.59
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him".
Revelation 6:7
The Atrocities of a Pale Rider- John D. Negroponte
Celerino Castillo 3rd
Feb. 17, 2005
John Dimitri Negroponte
The above biblical quotation is the only way I can describe John Dimitri Negroponte because of the atrocities he's previously committed around the world.
From 1971 to 1973, Negroponte was the officer-in charge for Vietnam at the National Security Council under Henry Kissinger. During that period, former DEA Michael Levine was conducting undercover operations in Saigon, Thailand, and Cambodia where our government was smuggling heroin into the U.S. Our government was utilizing caskets and body bags of those "Killed In Action" to smuggled the heroin.
From 1981-1985, Negroponte was U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, where he illegally assisted the contra war and, most devastating, helped the Reagan administration in "disappearing" close to 300 political opponents in classic death squad fashion. He supervised the creation of the El Aguacate air base, which the Contras used as a secret detention and torture center. In August 2001, excavations at the base discovered 185 corpses, including two American missionaries. In May 1982, a nun, Sister Laetitia Bordes went on a fact-finding delegation to Honduras to investigate the whereabouts of thirty Salvadoran nuns who fled to Honduras in 1981. Negroponte claimed the embassy knew nothing. But in 1996, a U.S. newspaper interviewed Negroponte's predecessor, Jack Binns. Binns said that a group of Salvadorans, among whom was Bordes, who had been captured on April 22, 1981, and savagely tortured by the Honduran Secret Police, and then later thrown out of helicopters, alive. Negroponte turned a deliberate blind eye to a murderous pattern of political killings. He orchestrated the famous death squad Battalion 316, which used shock and suffocation devices in interrogations. Prisoners were often kept naked and when no longer useful, killed and buried in unmarked graves. We have seen similar pictures of those atrocities committed by our service men and women in Iraq.
From 1989 to September 1993, he was also ambassador to Mexico where he directed our U. S. intelligence services in assisting the war against the Zapatista rebels in Chiapas. Furthermore, he was there obstructing the war on [some] drugs. Seven Mexican drug agents were gunned down in an ambush by 100 members of the Mexican army on the payroll of a drug cartel; Negroponte dismissed the slaughter as "a regrettable incident." The slaughter had been videotaped by the DEA from another plane, which had also been strafed by the army unit.
Ironically enough, I was stationed in Vietnam as a combat soldier at the same time Negroponte was assigned to Vietnam. It was there I saw some of my brothers laid low from heroin overdose. It was also there, that I promised myself that if I survived that war, I would initiate my own personal war against drug trafficking. In 1979, I became one of the very few Latinos DEA agents.
From 1985 to 1991, I was assigned to Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador. As one of two DEA agents that covered those countries, I observed that our U.S. government was complicit in drug trafficking and human rights violations. The area was rife with rebellion, gunrunning, and a perception that communism was on the move towards our back yards. One of my job descriptions was to train members of their military intelligence on the interdiction of drugs. However, most of my time was spent assisting the CIA in training the death squads. We were utilizing CIA contract agents from different parts of South America, specifically Venezuela and Argentina. In reality, Central America became one huge country, which allowed the death squads to overflow into each other. Mario Sandoval-Alarcon, best known as the godfather of the death squads and creator of the notorious death squad, "La Mano Blanca" ran all death squads. Sandoval was so loved by Ronald Reagan that he got a private invitation to, and attended, Reagan's inauguration.
At the same time, we had a guerilla movement known as the Contras operating against the Sandinistas' Nicaraguan government. Honduras and El Salvador became bases for the U.S. support of the right wing Contras. They unleashed a sadistic "scorched earth" campaign, basing itself on the murderous theory that the only way to combat the leftist guerrillas' resistance was to "empty the sea" in which the guerillas swam. Thus these death squads set about committing genocide against the indigenous population. The same blue prints that were used in Vietnam were implemented in Central America and once again, "worked." There are hundreds of secret cemeteries all over Central America, enough to us keep digging for another 10 years. There is no doubt that these same blueprints will be used in Iraq.
In Honduras, I saw first hand how Negroponte and General Alvarez committed some of the worst human rights violations ever committed against humanity in the Western Hemisphere. In 1994, the Honduran Human Rights Commission charged Negroponte personally with several human rights abuses.
President G.W. Bush appointed Negroponte as ambassador to Iraq with the "Salvador Option" in hand. The Salvador Option is a blueprint of the Phoenix Program [a murderous assasination program that killed at least 40,000 people without trial] that was utilized in Vietnam. And know it is being implemented in Iraq.
Today, President Bush has named Negroponte, as headhunter, Director of National Intelligence. He is now in charge of all intelligence, including that of the Pentagon.
God help us in saving our world.
As I've stated in the past, this country will get worse before it gets better, if it gets better. I am now capable of feeling deeply in my blood when an injustice has been committed. I've risked my life to demonstrate what I believe to be real- that is that an armed struggle (with pen in hand) is in order for those who are struggling in keeping their freedoms here at home. I've now become a veteran of my third, and perhaps most dangerous war, the war against the criminals in my own government.
More of this horror tale at the above URL.
Peace and love,
Preston Peet
"Madness is not enlightenment, but the search for enlightenment is often mistaken for madness"
Richard Davenport-Hines
Editor http://www.drugwar.com
Editor "Under the Influence- the Disinformation Guide to Drugs"
Editor "Undergound- The Disinformation Guide to Ancient Civilizations, Astonishing Archeology and Hidden History" (due out Sept. 2005)
Cont. High Times mag/.com
Cont. Editor http://www.disinfo.com
Columnist New York Waste
----- Original Message -----
From: APFN
To: APFN Yahoogroups
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 12:45 PM
Subject: Stop Human Rights Obstructer John Negroponte
Nicaragua Network
Negroponte's deputy, Lt. Gen. Mike Hayden
Thu Feb 17, 2005 13:35
Main Page -
Saturday, 02/19/05
Message Board by American Patriot Friends Network [APFN]


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WORCESTER— A Fitchburg woman who secured employment as a nurse by fraudulent means was sentenced to state prison today after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to charges that included identity fraud and larceny.
Yahaira Figueroa, 33, formerly of 96 Mechanic St., Fitchburg, was sentenced to 1 to 3 years' imprisonment with credit for 404 days spent in custody awaiting trial. She was also placed on probation for 3 years, to begin upon her release, and ordered to pay $5,931 in restitution as a condition of probation.
Assistant District Attorney John A. O'Leary told Judge James R. Lemire that Ms. Figueroa worked as a certified nursing assistant in 2010 at the Life Care Center Nursing Home in Leominster. One of the residents under her care was a 75-year-old retired licensed practical nurse, according to the prosecutor.
On or about Nov. 13, 2010, Ms. Figueroa used the retired nurse's personal identifying information, without her knowledge or consent, to submit a name and address change electronically to the state Division of Health Professions Licensure, Mr. O'Leary told the court. By so doing, he said, Ms. Figueroa was able to transfer the retired nurse's valid licensed practical nurse number into her own name and have it sent to her address.
In May of 2011, Ms. Figueroa created a document on Mount Wachusett Community College letterhead falsely indicating that she had graduated from the institution with a certificate in practical nursing, according to Mr. O'Leary.
He said Ms. Figueroa then submitted a false resume to the Golden Living Center in Fitchburg and obtained employment there as a licensed practical nurse. Ms. Figueroa worked in that capacity from Dec. 30, 2010, to Feb. 9, 2011, before being terminated for incompetence, Mr. O'Leary told the court. She unjustly earned $5,931 from the center, he said.
On or about Aug. 1, 2012, while under indictment on identity fraud, larceny and making a false application for a nursing license charges, Ms. Figueroa again used the retired nurse's personal identifying information in an attempt to gain employment at River Terrace Healthcare in Lancaster, according to Mr. O'Leary. This time her efforts were thwarted, the prosecutor said.
Ms. Figueroa pleaded guilty to three counts of identity fraud, larceny over $250, attempted larceny and making a false application for a nursing license.
Mr. O'Leary recommended that she be sentenced to 3 to 4 years in state prison with three years of probation to follow her release. He recommended that Ms. Figueroa be ordered to pay $5,931 in restitution to the Golden Living Center.
In support of his recommendation, Mr. O'Leary said the health and well-being of the Golden Living Center's residents was jeopardized by Ms. Figueroa when she carried out the duties of a licensed practical nurse without the proper training.
He also noted that she had been placed on probation in the past for larcenous conduct that involved her working while receiving public assistance for a disability.
Ms. Figueroa's lawyer, Sean J. Gallagher, recommended that his client be sentenced to time served with a period of probation.
Mr. Gallagher said Ms. Figueroa, a mother of two, mistakenly believed her training as a certified nursing assistant qualified her to do the job of a licensed practical nurse. He also told the court Ms. Figueroa's 404 days in custody had taken a toll on her and "made a profound impression on her."
Contact Gary V. Murray at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @GaryMurrayTG


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You yawned at the royal wedding in April. You were happy to miss the riots in August. But you're determined to be a part of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
This means either making a 260-foot discus throw, pronto, or studying up fast on the ticket, transport and hotel situation. The Games are July 27 to Aug. 12. The Paralympic Games follow, Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.
Lay of the land: The hub of the action is Stratford City, about eight miles northeast of Big Ben and central London (and not to be confused with the Shakespearean tourist town of Stratford-Upon-Avon). When I visited in February, construction was well along, and the area was crawling with heavy equipment. By the end of July, officials said construction had been completed on all six major venues in the new 500-acre Olympic Park: an 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, an aquatics center, a velodrome, a handball arena, a basketball arena and a broadcast center. The park's Athletes' Village will house about 17,000 competitors and officials.
Many of the 302 events (in 34 venues) will take place at familiar London-area landmarks: soccer at Wembley Stadium, tennis at Wimbledon, archery at Lord's Cricket Ground, road cycling in Regent's Park and latter-round basketball at North Greenwich Arena, a.k.a. the O2 Arena, a.k.a. the Dome. For details on just about every aspect of the Games go to http://www.london2012.com.
During the Games, officials say they expect as many as 200,000 visitors a day within Olympic Park. Between events, many will head next door to the vast Westfield Stratford City mall, which opened Sept. 13 with 1.9-million square feet of retail space, a casino, bowling, a 17-screen cinema and two hotels. Overall, tourism officials say Britain, which had about 30 million international visitors in 2010, is likely to draw an extra 900,000 or so in 2012 because of the Olympics.
Getting there: It's not just the Olympics that make this a tough airfare; it's the usual summer jump in prices. A Nov. 23 search for LAX-London (any airport) on the British Airways website showed the lowest available round-trip fare (taxes included) at $1,418 for a June 26 flight (returning a week later); $1,478 for a July 26 flight; and $1,107 for an Aug. 26 flight. On the Virgin Atlantic Airways site, the numbers were $1,438 for June 26; $1,584 for July 26; and $1,057 for Aug. 26.
Getting in: There are said to be 8.8 million Olympics tickets and 2 million more for the Paralympics, but many events are sold out. (Tickets went on sale early this year.) Americans might get a chance at tickets not yet sold, but no guarantees. If so, officials say it would probably come in the next few weeks or in early 2012. Meanwhile, there is a way to get tickets, especially if your pockets are deep.
The name to know is CoSport. The U.S. Olympic Committee has given the company exclusive rights to sell tickets and ticket packages by phone and Internet in the U.S. The CoSport website, http://www.cosport.com, will have up-to-date info on additional ticket releases, and consumers can sign up to receive updates. CoSport's phone: (877) 457-4647.
Though it doesn't have individual tickets, CoSport is selling multiple-event packages, sometimes including hotel stays, at prices that may terrify Olympic amateurs. These sales, which began in early 2011, will end two months before the Games or when the supply is exhausted, whichever comes first. CoSport's offerings in mid-November included:
— An Aug. 9-10 package of tickets to the men's beach volleyball finals and medal ceremony, along with men's and women's taekwondo preliminaries and the women's hockey finals and medal ceremony. Price: $1,834 a person. (That includes access to CoSport's hospitality area but excludes lodging, meals, airfare and ground transport.)
— An Aug. 11-12 package of tickets to the closing ceremony; the women's basketball gold-medal game and medal ceremony; and the men's bronze-medal volleyball game. Price: $7,162 a person. (That includes hospitality area access but excludes lodging, meals, airfare and ground transport.)
Among the packages that include lodging:
— A July 26-30 stay with breakfasts at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel, with tickets to archery, gymnastics and equestrian events and two men's preliminary basketball games. Price: $13,588 for two people, $10,563 for one. (Includes access to CoSport's hospitality area but excludes airfare, ground transport and most meals.)
— An Aug. 3-5 stay with breakfasts at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, with tickets to the men's and women's trampoline finals and medal ceremonies. Price: $9,212 for two people, $6,488 for one. (Includes access to CoSport's hospitality area but excludes airfare, ground transport and most meals.)
If CoSport makes more individual event tickets available to Americans in the weeks or months ahead, officials said they would stick with previously set prices. A chart on CoSport's website shows that tickets begin at $44 (badminton preliminaries, handball preliminaries, etc.), with most less than $200. The best seats went for as much as $890 each for gymnastics finals and medal ceremonies on Aug. 5 and up to $1,389 for a series of big-ticket athletics (track and field) finals and ceremonies on Aug. 11. Seats for the July 27 opening ceremonies fetched $327 to $3,727. (For sport-by-sport schedule details, go to http://www.tickets.london2012.com/schedule.html.)
Flexibility is crucial to landing tickets, said Mark Lewis, chief executive of CoSport's parent company, Jet Set Sports, in an October phone interview. "Maybe you've never seen a team handball match or never seen a weightlifting competition," he said. "But to go do that during the Olympics — those are awesome things to see."
Authorities are offering Paralympics tickets (those not sold during the initial "request phase") on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Monday, CoSport said, continuing through Feb. 6 or until they sell out. Those prices start at about $15.50 an event.
One more thing: To buy Olympics tickets, you're required to use a Visa card (Visa is a major sponsor).
Getting a room: As often happens with the Olympics, organizers are holding back most of greater London's 140,000 hotel rooms, residence halls and student dorms while they arrange housing for international dignitaries and such. Once those lodgings are sorted out, hotels are expected to release unclaimed rooms on Jan. 24. (Officials haven't said how many rooms they expect to release, but many will probably be grabbed up by tour operators.)
Still, there are London hotels that can be booked now. For the options, and the daunting prices, go to http://www.visitlondon.com/accommodation-during-the-games.
In mid-November, a check of the high-demand dates July 27-Aug. 2 yielded scores of choices, many of them far from central London or Olympic Park. Listings included the five-star Sofitel London Heathrow at about $484 a night; the three-star Ambassadors Hotel (near Earls Court Exhibition Center) at about $470 a night; and the two-star Boka Hotel (also near Earls Court) at about $400 a night.
Because many Olympic venues are far from Olympic Park or central London, a hotel an hour's train ride outside the city might make sense. Also, your odds of finding a place increase if you consider some of the 30,000 or more apartments, hostel rooms and home-stay options. (More info: http://www.visitlondon.com/accommodation-during-the-games/.)
Getting around: The idea is that nobody should drive to these Games. Toward that end, an expansion of London's already-extensive rail transit system includes high-speed trains that race from St. Pancras station in central London to the Stratford International station (next to Olympic Park) in as little as seven minutes. Tickets to most events come with a Games Travelcard good for free day-of-event travel on most public trains and buses in the city. There are three "gateway" rail stations neighboring Olympic Park: Stratford International, Stratford Regional and West Ham.
Getting a fair price: Prices tend to rise, sometimes dramatically, during the Olympics. But dozens of London tourist attractions have signed a "visitor charter" pledging to "maintain normal prices" during the Games. Among the signers: the London Eye, the Tower of London, the London Walks tour company and Eurostar rail service.


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Knutson Named USHL Forward Of The Week
CHICAGO, IL -- The United States Hockey League announced Monday that Sioux Falls Stampede winger Zeb Knutson has been named CCM Co-Forward of the Week.
The second-year forward was a driving force in the Stampede's 6-4 win over the Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday night. The Sioux Falls native tallied a pair of first-period goals in a span of 1:09 and added another in the third to record his first career USHL hat trick. He also tied a game high with a plus-two on-ice rating and led all players with six shots on goal.
Last season, Knutson posted 51 points 26g, 25a) in 61 games while helping lead the Stampede to a regular season Western Conference championship. He has already committed to play collegiate hockey at Minnesota State-Mankato starting with 2014-15 season.
Knutson and the Stampede return to action this weekend when they travel to Indianapolis and Cedar Rapids on Friday and Saturday night.
Courtesy: Sioux Falls Stampede


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BOSTON – If Bruins head coach Claude Julien could solve his first line's inconsistency problem, he surely would have fixed it long ago.
So we observers, along with the bench boss, are left to ponder the different reasons why one night Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton and David Krejci can look as dominant as they did in the four-game sweep of Philadelphia, and then can struggle to muster shots on net, let alone score goals, like they did in Tampa this week.
The Bruins are going to have to come up with some answers starting in tomorrow night's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. They've gotten this far on the strength of some solid performances by their top unit and great contributions from other lines when the Krejci Line has been off. They can't rely on the supporting cast to always bail out that No. 1 trio and finish this season as the last team standing. In fact, they're probably going to need prime production from Krejci's line and other trios on the same night a few times to capture that long-awaited Stanley Cup.
While Krejci scored one of Boston's two goals, with an assist by Lucic, in Game 3, the center didn't test either of Tampa Bay's two goaltenders in Game 4. In fact, that line combined for just two shots on goal. This on the heels of a shot-less Game 3 by Horton.
Perhaps part of the line's problem is that it relies on Krejci to set the tone, but the pivot is a tad delusional about his and his linemates' play regardless of how poor they are.
"It's the story all season. Obviously it wasn't our best game, but we still had some chances. … We had some chances; if they go in we're talking a different game," said Krejci while today at the TD Garden while taking liberties with the facts of Game 4. "Obviously we made some mistakes, but we can talk and talk. This is playoff hockey. It's going to be a new game tomorrow."
Krejci loves to always look forward, especially after a poor performance. He was one of the main culprits – along with his linemates, Tomas Kaberle and Tim Thomas – in the Bruins' collapse after being up 3-0 on Tampa Bay. Solving the problems of the past, however, has to be the first step toward correcting them.
To the best of anyone's recollection, there were two scoring chances by the Bruins' top line. Horton was robbed on a tip attempt by a great blocker-and-pad save at the near post by Mike Smith. Lucic made a steal on the forecheck and shot a wrister into Smith's midsection.
If that's Krejci's definition of "some chances," and he's not delusion, maybe we're all the ones with the false beliefs. There are obvious physical issues the line is dealing with. Lucic injured his foot last week in practice and Krejci was rocked by a high hit from Marc-Andre Bergeron in Game 3 (Krejci says he's fine). When you play with the reckless abandon of Horton, you're sure to pick up some nicks and bruises along the way.
Figuring that other team's top forwards and defensemen are also dealing with aches and pains, you can consider an equal playing field. So could it just be that expecting the Bruins' No. 1 line to perform as such every night, or at least in the majority of games played, is unfair? Head coach Claude Julien, at least, doesn't believe so.
"No I don't think we hold them to too high of a standard to be honest with you. I'm sure those three guys want to be held at that standard that they're a great line and that they can be difference-makers every night," said the coach. "And I thought they played a great game in Game 3, gave us the early lead and they were solid throughout it all. They've been a great line for us all year and there's no doubt that in the playoffs sometimes there's a little more at stake so you're looking at that line a little closer than you normally would and those fine details and the expectations are looked upon a little closer.
"But we expect them to be a great line for us every night, so do they. Now whether that happens or not is another thing. But what we want to see from them is them trying to be the best they can every night, and that's what we're hoping they're going to be tomorrow."
The assertion is that Krejci can't just pass off "some chances" as a hard-luck day at the office. Lucic can't compound his lack of production with a giveaway and a couple defensive breakdowns – as he admitted he did on what turned into the game-winning play for the Lightning in Game 4. And Horton can't keep channeling his frustrations into roughhousing, as he did again with his high hit into the glass of Tampa Bay pest Steve Downie.
Fair or not, the Krejci Line is the Bruins' best collection of offensive players. Hodge, Esposito and Cashman they are not, but in a mostly balanced Boston offense they're the ones that have to push that scoring balance in their direction to really punish the opponent's defense and goaltending. The scoring chances shouldn't be counted on one hand. They have to produce goals, and produce them big time.
Lucic isn't shy about admitting his and his mates must be better.
"We've had some great games and we've had some not-so-great games," said Lucic. "Right now, it's not a time to start asking questions. It just matters what we do tomorrow. If we can get things going good tomorrow we've got to do whatever we can to build off of that."
The Krejci Line can look at the Game 4 debacle as the end of another phase of its postseason roller coaster. The ride back up can start tomorrow night at the TD Garden. Consider Game 5 a chance to turn delusions into reality.


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Big Edmonton RV Expo & Sale Opens Tonight
February 11, 2010 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Big Edmonton RV Expo & Sale Opens Tonight
The 30th Annual Edmonton RV Exposition & Sale opens tonight (Feb. 11) at the newly expanded Edmonton EXPO Center (formerly Northlands Agricom) in Edmonton, Alberta, with another 100,000 square feet of space over last year's show, according to the Edmonton Journal.
This four-day event is the premiere showing of recreation vehicles, services and accessories in Western Canada in the largest facility west of Toronto – some 380,000 square feet in total.
More than 400 RVs will be on display – including tent trailers, travel trailers, fifth-wheels, park models, motorhomes and diesel pushers. The latest in RV services, products and tourism destinations also will be on board to check out. The ever-popular RV Lifestyle Theatre is back with speakers on a wide range of pertinent topics.
All show-goers have the opportunity to participate in the Passport to Prizes event sponsored by the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) of Alberta. Participants could win a $5,000 shopping spree redeemable with any participating show dealer. Other prizes include a one-week stay with golfing privileges at Alberta Beach Golf Resort and RV Park (a $1,200 value) or a 2010 Kona Fire Mountain Bike worth $600 from River Valley Cycle.
New to the show this year is a chance to win a $60,000 RV with the Ultimate Putting Challenge sponsored by EPA Ultimate Concepts Inc. Venture over to the on-site putting green for a shot at a variety of golf prizes as well as the RV grand prize.
As in other years, all the space is sold out. A total of 16 dealers, one more than last year, and 100 small booths, a jump from 60 at the 2009 show, are in place to make a show that's second to none.
"We've got a much larger space and we've filled it right up; we're really happy about that," says show manager Dan Merkowsky of the RVDA of Alberta. "Wear your running shoes – there's lots of space and plenty to see."
Show goers will be able to get around the expanded facility comfortably thanks to the two people-movers (golf carts) that show organizers have on hand. Getting to the center itself will be easier as well, with three shuttle buses around the parking lot.
Show chairman Bill Burnett of Trailblazer RV Center says the spacious surroundings give dealers more room to display their units to best advantage.
"They can bring more product, but they still have to pick and choose because there's so much to show the public. There's a lot of new product in terms of big and small units and the market is more diverse than ever."
Innovative features to watch for include outside kitchens and more and bigger slideouts.
Attending the show gives everyone, from the experienced RVer to the newbie to the wannabe, a chance to see everything under one roof. "This way you can see it all up close," which in turn helps you decide earlier and let the dealer know sooner what you want. That way you can be ready for the beginning of the season, Burnett says.
He noted the show is the first to take up all the main-level space at the centre – "a tribute to the industry and our customers. RVing is popular here. We have places to go and enjoy our recreation vehicles."
Seminar topics at the RV Lifestyle Theatre include:
- Getting Your RV Ready for the Road with Al Cohoe of Okanagan College.
- Solar Power Systems and Inverters for your RV with Doug Grafton of Carmanah Technologies Inc.
- All About Holding Tanks – What You Were Afraid To Ask by Sani-Dump.com.


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IELTS Preparation Guide in India
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) was introduced in 1989 to help universities and colleges judge the English skills of candidates wishing to study or train in the English language. It continues to be used for this
purpose and is also used as a general test of English for immigration and employment in many countries.
Candidates for IELTS exam must choose to appear for either the Academic or the General Training IELTS test.
The Academic IELTS test is for individuals who plan to study in English at university (undergraduate or postgraduate level), and is designed to test the understanding and use of complex academic language.
The General Training IELTS test is suitable for individuals requiring a more general level of English proficiency for college, high school, employment or immigration purposes.
There is no pass or fail in IELTS. Scores are graded on the 9-band system. Each educational institution or organisation sets its own level of IELTS scores to meet its individual requirements.
The IELTS test is divided into four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
Candidates may sit the IELTS test as many times as they wish, and from 1 May 2006 do not need to wait 90 days before taking it again. However, it should be understood that the average learner requires approximately 400 hours of instruction and study to progress just one band level in IELTS.
Before sitting the test it is important and helpful to:
- Familiarise yourself with the test FORMAT.
- Improve your TEST skills with practice tests.
- USE your English skills every day
Many candidates enroll in an IELTS Preparation Course at a language school to help them prepare fully for the test.
Combined with independent study, and daily practice using the English language, a preparation course will help candidates achieve their target band score.
- Practising all question types
- Recognising intonation patterns (questions, surprise etc)
- Varieties of spoken English, including Australian, British, North American and New Zealand
- Listening for specific information, keywords, general information, numbers, transition signals and discourse markers (firstly, secondly, obviously, furthermore, indeed]
- Practising all question types
- Skimming (to get a general understanding)
- Scanning (looking for specific information)
- Developing vocabulary
- Summarising
- Determining the writer's attitude and opinion
- Practising all question types
- Adjusting style according to purpose
- Writing paragraphs, introductions and conclusions
- Using conjunctions and referents
- Organising information logically within a text
- Using examples and evidence to support an argument
- Practising all question types
- Practising pronunciation and intonation
- Practising fluency
- Using and understanding common phrases
- Interacting with other speakers
- Speaking for an extended time on a particular topic
- Discussing that topic
IELTS Preparation Video
- Download the IELTS Application Form
- Official IELTS Practice Materials Order Form
- Information for Candidates
- The IELTS Guide for Stakeholders
- IELTS Scores Explained
- Analysis of test data
- The IELTS Guide for Agents
- Grants Application Form
- IELTS Masters Award
- CBSE Compartment Exam
- CBSE Improvement Exam
- Private Candidate


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Musikmesse 2011: Novation Twitch
The first big news for DJs has filtered back from the Musikmesse 2011 show in Frankfurt a day before proceedings even begin!
Twitch is a DJ control surface and interface from controller experts, Novation. The unit was developed in partnership with Serato and comes with all the usual features you would expect from a DJ control circa 2011 plus a few surprises. The unique Touch Strip controls will open up new creative possibilities while the included Serato Itch software will handle beat-matching duties to allow you to concentrate on playing that perfect set.
Non-Serato fans, please don't stop reading as the unit is also mapped for Traktor and includes a free overlay to stop things from getting confusing. It doesn't stop there either, Twitch can be mapped to Ableton Live and full integration with Live will be available soon.
At this early stage we can reveal that Twitch is a robust and practically designed unit with the needs of todays modern DJ put first.The control surface includes two banks of eight Triggerpads, professional cross-fader, per-channel Fader FX and two LED-backlit Touchstrips that allow for manipulation of audio files using gestures as you might on a multi-touch trackpad or touchscreen opening up a whole new arena of possibilities as an artist and performer.
Check out this official video featuring world renowned DJ Alex kidd to see him putting Twitch through it's paces: