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Winter Lodge
Established in 1956, Winter Lodge is the first and only permanent outdoor ice rink west of the Sierras and an esteemed Palo Alto tradition. Winter Lodge offers daily public skating from Sept. 24 through April 14 and is bound to get folks into the holiday mood with charming holiday decorations, random snow falls, and a Christmas tree anchored in the middle of the rink to gaze upon as skaters skirt on by.
Besides open skating, Sunday evenings is designated family session and Wednesday evenings are reserved for adults. The vigilant and helpful ice guards will smother skaters with caution and when that fails, people can cozy by the fireplace and soothe themselves over 50-cent hot cocoa. Guests can try looking into lessons offered for children and adults. Once the skating shoes have been worn into, turn up the "cold" on the ice rink with a private ice party or broomball competition.
Where: 3009 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Information: 650-93-4566; http://winterlodge.com
Bedwell Bayfront Park
Bedwell Bayfront Park, with its 2.3-mile trail of undulating hills and scenic views, attracts people year-round for hiking, running, bicycling, kite flying, and photography. But winter is an especially good time for bird watching as the season brings species from colder climates up north that travel to the Bay Area in search of food. Friends of Bedwell Bayfront Park, a group dedicated to preserving the open space of the park, hosts bird-watching activities on the second Saturday of each month.
"(Some people] haven't ever looked at a duck to see how beautiful its plumage really is," Chris MacIntosh, a founding member, said. The group was established in 1995 to counter the development of a golf course at the park. In addition to the bird viewing, the park collaborates with Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge to organize a walk that covers the history of the park and the restoration of the surrounding salt ponds, which is protected under the Refuge.
"The thing that we really want to do with our bird watching and the activities we put on there is to help people learn more what they are seeing in the park and learn how to value it," MacIntosh said.
Where: Bayfront Expressway and Marsh Road
Information: www.friendsofbayfrontpark.org; email@example.com
Birding by Bike:
If simply bird viewing isn't enough for the adventurers out there, there is an option to go Birding by Bike. Organized by the Baylands Nature Preserve, the free class allows bikers to range further infield. Participants should bring a bike and a helmet, and if available, binoculars and a guidebook. A checklist is provided to mark down the many type of species that are bound to be flocking around. Participants can expect to find great egrets, American coots, sandpipers, turkey vultures and Canadian geese.
Where: Ranger Station, 2500 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto
Information: http://enjoyonline.cityofpaloalto.org/
Save The Bay
It doesn't take nice weather and clear skies to help the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. Since 1961, Save the Bay has grown to be the "largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay," according to its website. The organization and its 40,000 supporters, volunteers and advocates work year-round to re-establish 100,000 acres of wetlands.
On Dec 16, from 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will continue to plant native plants whether or not the world ends on Dec. 21 as the Mayan calendar predicts. Even if the world ends then, this will be the last day for volunteers to get their hands dirty in 2012 and help Save the Bay reach its goal of planting 30,000 plants this season.
Volunteers can celebrate National Bird Day on Jan. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, by planting native plants to restore their habitat. At Faber Tract, volunteers will have the opportunity to view some of these birds like great egrets, canvasbacks, godwits, willets, black-necked stilts and long billed curlews. Attendees can also enjoy Mother Nature while avoiding her elements in Save the Bay's Palo Alto nursery on Jan. 9. Save the Bay will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 9 by planting native species in Menlo Park's Ravenswood Pond and Palo Alto's Baylands. From 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers can do good in the world by restoring local wetlands.
Information: wwwsavesfbay.org/volunteer
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
This 60,000-acre regional greenbelt system is preserved so that the general public can enjoy untouched nature. Multiple hiking trails allow hikers to choose how long and strenuous of a hike to choose. Docents also lead moderately paced hikes most weeks throughout the year.
Dogs can celebrate Christmas Dec. 15 on a "Fleas Navidad Hike." Docents guide a 3-mile hike where dogs on leashes are welcome to join. Enjoy the Russian River on Dec. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., without traveling all the way up to the Russian River Valley. Docents will share some favorite solstice readings along this 3.5-mile hike to the top of Borel Hill along the Ridge Trail. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a hot beverage and a favorite poem or short essay.
Bird lovers will enjoy the "Birding by the Bay" hike Jan. 1. Hikers are encouraged to bring binoculars and birdwatchers of all levels are welcome to come and learn. This greenbelt system needs volunteers Jan. 12 and 26 to remove broom for habitat restoration. For more docent lead hikes and volunteer opportunities, visit their website.
Palo Alto Adult School
The Palo Alto Adult School offers classes during the colder months of the year on a variety of subjects, from exercise to art. Instructor Candice Simpson offers a class on Sustainable Home Vegetable Gardening Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. This six-week class starting Feb. 5 teaches sustainable environmental gardening practices to grow vegetables and herbs during the cold season. Celebrate health and the great outdoors by taking Hike For Fitness. The class is offered for five alternating Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and will have an organizational meeting on Jan. 8.
Where: Most classes are held at Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo alto
Information: 650-329-3752 or www.paadultschool.org
California Riding Academy
The Menlo Park horseback riding center offers horseback riding classes to children and adults of all abilities. The academy offers riding instruction in English, Hunter/Jumper and Dressage. Students can train and show their horses through the academy as well. California Riding Academy will be putting on a children's holiday horse camp from Dec 20-24.
Where: 100 Ansel Lane, Barns 2 and 15, Menlo Park
Information: 650-740-2261; 650-854-1037 (barn); http://californiaridingacademy.com/
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The Bell P-39 Airacobra in the RCAF
The Bell P-39 Airacobra in the RCAF
In 1939, as war clouds brewed over Europe and the Far East, Canada was ill-prepared for war. The RCAF, in particular, relied on a handful of obsolete Grumman Goblin 1 two-seat biplanes as front line fighters, although Canada Car and Foundry in Fort William (where the Chief Engineer Elsie MacGill became known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes") had already started the production of a small run of Hawker Hurricanes. Eventually 1,300 Hurricane Mk X series were manufactured, but the orders were intended for RAF use.
In mid-May 1940, Canadian and US officers watched comparative tests of a Curtiss XP-40 prototype and a production standard Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1, at RCAF Uplands. Ottawa. While the Spitfire was considered to have performed better, it was not available for use in Canada, and the RCAF still wanted to consider other alternatives.
Throughout the early stages of the Second World War, the growing tension between Japan and the US resulted in the need to strengthen and upgrade Canada's Western Air Command. With all available Hurricanes committed to Europe, orders for 144 Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter aircraft had been placed to fulfill the fighter defence role in this theatre.
The Bell P-39 had a curious genesis, designed as an interceptor and incorporating the latest technology, yet handicapped by a decision to delete the turbo-supercharger that had made the prototype a world-beater. The innovative design was the first fighter in history with a tricycle undercarriage and the first to have the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, creating a streamlined, futuristic fighter. Despite the performance of the XP-39 reaching nearly 400 mph at 20,000 ft in tests, USAAC officials and company founder Larry Bell made a fateful decision to rely on the single-stage, single-speed supercharger that effectively limited the new fighter to a low-altitude role.
On April 3, 1940, an order for 200 P-39s were placed by Armée de l'Air but were undelivered when France capitulated, leading to the RAF taking over the consignment in September 1940, adding to the total order of 675 Bell Model 14s (Bell P-39D), initially named "Caribou", later to be redesignated as the Airacobra 1. Test results were disappointing, falling below that of the current Hurricane and Spitfires in service with inadequate rate of climb and performance at altitude, adding to a plethora of other concerns, none more troubling then a cramped cockpit and poor egress in the event of bailout. The operational debut of the Bell fighter with No. 601 Squadron was limited to one combat sortie flown, against enemy barges at Dunkirk, before the type was retired. All remaining Airacobras, redesignated P-400s, were diverted to US Pacific fighter squadrons.
Although not related to the RCAF eventual cancellation of its order, the RAF's rejection of the Bell Airacobra must have played a role in acquiring the Curtis P-40 Kittyhawk fighter that was ordered to meet home air defense requirements. In all, eight Home War Establishment Squadrons were equipped with the Kittyhawk: 72 Kittyhawk I, 12 Kittyhawk Ia, 15 Kittyhawk III and 35 Kittyhawk IV aircraft, for a total of 134 aircraft. These aircraft were mostly diverted from RAF Lend-Lease orders for service in Canada and arrived in time to see duty in the Aleutians and Alaska.
In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy occupied Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Island chain and Nos. 14, 111 and 118 squadrons flying the Kittyhawk I were involved in the drawn-out campaign. On 25 September 1942, S/L Boomer shot down an A6M2-N "Rufe" fighter at Kiska. During the final stages of Japanese attacks against North America, RCAF Kittyhawks would shoot down a total of three balloon bombs.
Bell P-39s were fated never to serve with the RCAF, although thousands would eventually make their way through Canada via the Northwest Staging Route airfields as the fighters made their way to the USSR, where the fighter would eventually make its mark as a premiere low-altitude dogfighter.
For more information on the Curtiss P-40 in Canadian service, see: "The P-40 in RCAF Service" by Hugh Halliday, CAHS Journal, Volume 4, No. 2, Summer 1966. A cover illustration, "Red Stars over Edmonton" by Tony Cashman, is in the CAHS Journal, Volume 42, No. 4, Winter 2004 showing Bell P-39s in Russian markings over Edmonton's Legislative Building.

subset: commoncrawl


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2012 Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights - Nigeria
|International Trade Union Confederation
|Publication Date
|6 June 2012
|Cite as
|International Trade Union Confederation, 2012 Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights - Nigeria, 6 June 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fd88931c.html [accessed 19 January 2018]
|This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Population: 158,400,000
Capital: Abuja
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 (Forced Labour (1930))
87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948))
98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949))
100 (Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951))
105 (Abolition of Forced Labour (1957))
111 (Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958))
138 (Minimum Age for Employment (1973))
182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999))
Reported Violations – 2012
Injuries: 2
Arrests: 2
Imprisonments: 2
Dismissals: 13
Documented violations – actual number of cases may be higher
Bank workers were sacked for their union membership and recognition of their union was withdrawn. Oil workers found themselves harassed for their union membership and both striking doctors and university lecturers were threatened with the sack if they took strike action over the non-recognition of collective agreements. Two union leaders in the public sector were arrested, beaten and put on trial for attempted murder after a peaceful meeting in support of minimum wage demands was attacked by police and security forces.
Goodluck Jonathan won the presidential elections in March, vowing to be tough on corruption. The country remained plagued by unrest, particularly attacks by the Boko Haram radical Islamist group. The group claimed responsibility for the killing of 23 people in a bomb attack on the UN headquarters in August. In December nearly 70 people were killed in fighting between security forces and Boko Haram militants and a further 40 died in a Christmas Day bombing. There was also considerable social unrest during the year over the reluctance of many states to pay their workers the N 18.000 (about $120) minimum wage. Although Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer more than half of its people still live in poverty.
Trade union rights in law
Despite the repeal of some of the anti-labour decrees from the military era, many restrictions still remain. To register a union, the organisation must represent at least 50 workers, and a union cannot be registered where another union already exists. Workers in essential services do not enjoy freedom of association, and organising in the country's export processing zones is virtually impossible. Furthermore, the Registrar has broad powers to supervise the trade union accounts at any time.
Although the law recognises the right to collective bargaining, every agreement on wages in the private sector must be registered with the Ministry of Labour, which decides whether the agreement becomes binding or not. The right to strike is likewise restricted, as the Trade Disputes Act imposes compulsory arbitration. In addition, strikes that concern conflicts of interest or economic issues, including the government's social or economic policy, are prohibited. Also, strikers may not block airports nor obstruct public highways, institutions or premises of any kind. The penalties for participating in an illegal strike include fines and imprisonment for up to six months.
Link to additional detailed information regarding the legislation on the ITUC website here
In practice
Casualisation leading to lower standards and falling union membership in the oil industry: A study entitled "Oil and Casualisation of Labor in the Niger Delta" by the US Solidarity Center depicts the social erosion affecting the lives of Nigerian oil workers due to casualisation, or contract or outsourced work. "There is an industry-wide shift away from regular, full-time work toward forms of cheaper temporary labour and short-term contracting," notes the executive summary. The 36-page study says that under one-half of the country's oil and gas workers are unionised, down from 60% in 2003. "The casualisation model enables employers to ignore workplace standards and workers' social needs and to create a strong barrier against workplace organising" says the study. The oil industry has a history of anti-union attitudes, including replacing union members with contract workers.
"Abysmal" respect for workers' and trade union rights in EPZs:
A report based on research by the ITUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on "The state of trade unionism and industrial relations practice in Nigeria's Export Processing Zones", published in January 2011, describes the respect of workers' rights in the zones as "abysmal". The study found that attempts by trade unions to operate in the 11 EZPs currently active in Nigeria were largely rebuffed by anti-union employers and workers fearful of losing their jobs, with only minimal success won after long and bitter struggles. Some attempts by union organisers in the Calabar EPZ for example led to them being harassed, arrested and briefly detained.
The report also notes that the EPZ authorities and most of the firms operating within them do all they can to frustrate any meaningful social dialogue. As a result there are no distinct EPZ collective bargaining structures or agreements. Some employers, such as those in the footwear industry, are technically bound by sectoral agreements, but it is not clear whether they are actually implemented within the EPZs. Nor can this be checked very easily, as there is no effective labour inspection of the zones. The Ministry of Labour and Productivity did send inspectors to the Calabar zone in 2008, after lengthy negotiation and the reluctant agreement of the Calabar Free Trade Zone authority. It found unfair labour practices to be the norm, but after being warned very firmly that companies would pull out if the findings were made public and that further inspections would deter investors, the Ministry decided to take no further action, and has since steered clear of the EPZs.
Striking lecturers told return to work or be sacked: On 17 January the Governing Council of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, ordered members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, to resume work or get sacked. ASUU went on strike in October 2010, followed by NASU in December 2010, in protest at the refusal of the state government to honour the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the education workers' unions ASUU, NASU, SSANU and NAAT. In some other universities the strike was called off as the authorities agreed to implement the agreement. The ASUU did suspend its strike to give the university more time to implement the agreement, but it failed to do so, and further strikes followed. The dispute remained unresolved by December.
Bank withdraws union recognition and dismisses 13 union activists: Management at the Union Bank of Nigeria, UBN, Plc, withdrew recognition from its branch of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, affiliated to the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Union Bank Association of Senior Staff, UBASS, in January, claiming they were not registered in accordance with the law. The bank also dismissed 13 workers, claiming they had all committed "unethical acts", but many believed the real reason behind the dismissals was their union activities. Other union members found themselves transferred to remote branches, for no justifiable reason. The Group Managing Director of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mrs Funke Osibodu claimed she had nothing against the NLC. However she was later quoted in a staff meeting threatening to dismiss any staff found to express interest in unionism or associate with the NLC. The NLC gave the bank a seven day ultimatum to withdraw its de-recognition of ASSBIFI, and await the decision of the Industrial Arbitration Panel (AIP) which was examining the legality of the union's registration. When the bank did not abide by that deadline, the NLC announced week-long picket of the UBN, from 14 to 19 February. According to the NLC the bank then deployed security agencies, notably soldiers, to manhandle and hound union leaders many of whom had gone into hiding. Mrs. Osibodu reportedly boasted that she had deployed soldiers to guard all its branches across the country and ordered them to shoot-at-sight any worker who tried to picketing.
Harassment of union leaders: The Branch Chairman and other executive committee members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) found themselves the victims of victimisation. The Petroleum Equalisation Fund Management Board (PEF) began aggressive interference in union affairs following a successful PENGASSAN campaign forced PEF management to promote over 70% of its staff who had stagnated at the same grade for upwards of six years. PEF set up a panel to investigate union member activity in terms of their adherence to union rules, clearly not the jurisdiction of management, and a breach of union independence intended to undermine PENGASSAN. The union warned the PEF in June that it would face widespread industrial unrest if the victimisation continued.
Union leader and colleague arrested, beaten and imprisoned: Osmond Ugwu and Raphael Elobuike were arrested at a workers rally on 24 October 2011 in Enugu and detained on charges of the attempted murder of a policeman. The rally was held by public servants in protest over the dismissal of Mr. Ugwu, leader of the Enugu Workers' Forum, a body created during recent strike action to press for payment of the minimum wage. Ugwu and other workers had gathered at the Nigeria Labour Congress office for prayers when a combined team of soldiers, police and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) arrived, leading to the confrontation. During the clashes a policeman received head injuries for which he had to be hospitalised. The two arrested public servants were held in Enugu Federal Prison in South East Nigeria after reportedly being beaten and tortured during arrest and in police custody. They went to trial in December – after a judge refuse to hear the case in November – but journalists were banned from covering proceedings. Both men were still in prison at the end of the year.
Union members harassed as army takes over power facility: Troops that were deployed from 14 November to guard public power company installations nationwide began harassing, detaining then releasing members of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE). The union disputed the government's claim that that troops were deployed to guard installations against terrorist attacks by the Islamic sect Boko Haram. The union believed that government deployed troops to ensure that the privatisation sale of the PHCN – still under negotiation – was pushed through. The NUEE called on its members to organise peaceful marches to protest at the non-payment of the 50% salary increment since June, as well as the harassment of union members by security officials.


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Regular price: $19.99
Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred....
Steinbeck's tale of commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss remains one of America's most widely read and beloved novels....
It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....
The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe....
More than 50 years after its first publication, Doubleday's definitive edition of Anne Frank's famous diary generated an extraordinary amount of excitement when it was published in early 1995....
This new audio edition, authorized by Fitzgerald's estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal....
Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred....
Steinbeck's tale of commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss remains one of America's most widely read and beloved novels....
It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....
The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe....
More than 50 years after its first publication, Doubleday's definitive edition of Anne Frank's famous diary generated an extraordinary amount of excitement when it was published in early 1995....
This new audio edition, authorized by Fitzgerald's estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal....
The Heart of a Woman sings with Maya Angelou's eloquent prose and is filled with unforgettable vignettes....
At one time, Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that she had a story to tell.....
Get ready for an adventure tale in its purest form, a thrilling and elegantly told account of a group of British schoolboys marooned on a tropical island....
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich brilliantly portrays a single day, any day, in the life of a single Russian soldier who was captured by the Germans in 1945....
The Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection, brings A Midsummer Night's Dream to life with this new full-length, full-cast dramatic recording of its definitive Folger Edition....
George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture....
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS....
A classic of Holocaust literature, Gerda Weissmann Klein's memoir tells the moving story of a young...
Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul.
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school - until now....
Ray Bradbury's internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of 20th-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future, narrated here by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins....
The Awakening is among the most-read American novels in colleges and universities and is considered an early example of American realism....
Night is an unmistakably autobiographical account of the author's own gruesome experiences in Nazi Germany's death camps. Told through the eyes of 14-year-old Eliezer, the tragic fate of the Jews from the little town of Sighet unfolds with a heart-wrenching inevitability. Even as they are stuffed into cattle cars bound for Auschwitz, the townspeople refuse to believe rumors of anti-Semitic atrocities. Not until they are marched toward the blazing crematory at the camp's "reception center" does the terrible truth sink in.
Recounting the evils at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Wiesel's enduring classic of Holocaust literature raises questions of continuing significance for all future generations: How could man commit these horrors, and could such an evil ever be repeated?
"[A] slim volume of terrifying power." (The New York Times)
Any additional comments?
This book is raw, and sadly very real. The thought of some of the things described in this book makes me cringe, and yet I would not hesitate to recommend this book as required reading for everyone. It reminds us of what men are capable of doing and the undying strength of the human spirit.
The book is a history of one mans (then a boy) journey into Auschwitz-Birkenau. A journey that VERY few lived to tell about. Elie Wiesel has lived an inspirational life (he's still alive) and has written several other books. I encourage anyone who has the time to take a minute and Google him - he's truly an amazing man.
After finishing the book, I told my wife some of the things I had learned. She stopped me before I could finish - it was too graphic. And it is graphic, and it is real. But it's my opinion that we need to realize that this really happened. We all know that millions of people were killed in these concentration camps, but what we sometimes forget is that these were real life people, each an individual with a story of their own. It's books like this that bring some of those individuals back to life.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
It is not easy to listen to someone witnessing about the dark side of humankind. Yet, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Eliezer Wiesel tells his story as a young Jewish boy of 15, later 16 years going through Nazi hell in Auschwitz. He tells it with the force of plainness and naked honesty that grips and doesn't want to let go. 'Night' is according to Wiesel the key with which all his other works needs to be read and understood.
This 'Recorded Books' audio book is an excellent production of a new translation of the French text of 'Night' prepared by Marion Wiesel, Elie's wife. He explains that she knows him the best and has a good feeling for how he thinks and feels. Indeed she has done a marvellous job with the translation.
George Guidall's narration adds to the quality and listening experience of the book. You might think that it is the author himself telling the story of the concentration camps. He brings the terror of the Second World War from a Jewish perspective to life.
The whole production is of such a high quality that you will have to nit pick to find something out of place. While it is not a very long audio book, it is worth every penny! I strongly recommend this autobiographical sketch of inner struggle and coming to grips with a dark reality that warns and caution humankind of its darkside.
38 of 40 people found this review helpful
This book totally affected me. I don't remember ever being so physically and emotionally caught up in any book like I was with this one. I cried, I thought about it throughout the day, I dreamt about it in the night. Elie Wiesel wrote the most haunting account of his young life. From being ripped from his home to being separated from his mother and sister to caring and feeling responsible for his father in his journey from concentration camp to concentration camp. It shows the depths of human despair and the height of out of control power.
Narrator George Guidall brings life to the book. He was perfect. Listening to this book instead of reading it literally brought Elie Wiesel right into your heart. Mr. Guidall had the inflection, pain and weariness in his voice that really brought it home. He is obviously familiar with some of the important Jewish prayers like Kaddish (the prayer said for the dead). He ripped out my heart when he began to recite it.
I can't say enough about the importance of this book. Please listen to it. It is essential to use the lessons you will learn in the book to make you a better person. You won't be the same after this one.
107 of 116 people found this review helpful
I am almost speechless. This is one of those times when you are so emotionally affected that words can not explain. I believe this is required reading in some schools and I applaud those schools. I would rather read horror as fiction, so I can tell myself that it is fiction. This is true, which makes the horror hard to bare. Everyone should read a non-fiction book about the Holocaust, Apartheid, slavery, war, or torture, just to keep them grounded about once a year. We need to be reminded and our young people need to learn and not forget.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful
On my second time through this book. After reading (and re-reading) The rise and fall of the third Reich by WIlliam Shirer I wanted even more information on this blighted page in our human history. Such a sureal unfolding of genicide when you read how one survivor came back to the author's village and railed against the Nazis and begged his fellow jews to leave while they could. No one listened to him until it was too late.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful
Highly acclaimed author Elie Weisel recounts his personal account of the Holocaust from his youth in Siget to the bowels of Hell in the concentration camps. His first hand account is an excellent personalization of horrors experienced by 6 million Jews - a number that is impossible to grasp - and allows the reader to intimately share the experience and thoughts of a Holocaust survivor.
Night is also finely written - yet not too overwelming in language or length.
Should be required reading for all High School students - of all races.
23 of 25 people found this review helpful
I bought this book the week before I visited Auschwitz. Listening to it as I sat on the train--staring out the window into the bleak, snow-covered Polish countryside--was incredibly emotional. That experience is permanently etched into my memory.
Of course, even if you are not on your way to visit a concentration camp, the story needs to be heard. This audiobook is the way to hear it.
The narrator is perfect. The story is touching, memorable and chilling. A definite must-listen.
23 of 25 people found this review helpful
This book is very well written and told. The author is able to give you just a glimpse of the pain he and others suffered at the hands of evil rulers, evil followers and even persecuted Jews in Nazi Germany. You realize how easy it can be for men to be broken and for animal nature to kick in and take over. You learn how one's soul can be broken to a point that you wonder how they can ever come back, yet even as broken down as they were, they continued to fight to live each day in a horrible hell. It brings across the point of how easy people choose to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that life is just fine, that human beings could never be so cruel to other human beings and how pathetic we can be when we choose to ignore another's plight because we just don't want to get involved. It makes you think twice about who you are and what you stand for and it breaks your heart to know that the persecuted people hoped over and over that someone would come to help them and yet we failed them for so long. This book is so applicable in today's times and should help to awaken anyone questioning human suffering in other countries and brings across the point that we cannot stand idly by while others in the world are suffering persecution at the hands of evil rulers and terrorists.
30 of 33 people found this review helpful
I was naturally very moved by this well-crafted and devastating book It's commendable for handling such an unwieldy topic with great economy. It uses relatively few though well-chosen words to convey mind boggling ideas and experiences. The whole tale is told in just about four hours. By the end of those four hours however you'll feel as if you'd been taken to Auschwitz and Buchenwald and experienced them yourself.
It's hard to believe how profoundly significant events like this can be forgotten. But over time even the most unbelievable outrages fade and grow quiet as they recede into the past. I agree with other reviewers that it's important that young people hear these stories and understand that the horrible extents to which men and women will go to be inhuman to their fellow men and women.
George Guidall is one of my favourite narrators and a fabulous choice for this book (or any with an Eastern European angle, for that matter).
I really enjoyed the author's Nobel Prize acceptance speech and the forward to the revised English edition of the book, which are included at the end of the book. These were moving and relevant, too. I'm glad there were added.
PS: I won't comment on events involving the author later in his life except to say that they sadly seem to be at odds with the core sentiments of this book. Age does funny things to us all, I guess.
PPS: A family friend, who would have been about the same age as the author, was in the same camps (except the first one, Buna?) and while listening a shiver went up my spine when I thought of him there experiencing what the author experienced.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
What is the lasting impact on a 15 year old son who must watch and watch-over his aging father as they struggle to just survive, day by day, the Nazi death camps of WWII. He must watch his father as he is beaten, kicked and force marched from camp to camp during freezing winters barely subsisting on starvation rations.
The son, Eliezer, is a devoted Orthodox Jew pursuing his religious studies, already faltering because of the roundups of Jewish men, including Rabbinical teachers. After years of increasing brutalities and deprivations in their villages and ghettos, the final journeys to the camps begin. Wiesei, a holocaust survivor himself, describes the almost unbelievable torments and tortures, the humiliations and degradations and the killings of women, children and the aged.
He ponders the universal question of man's inhumanity to man. He addresses the inevitable questions the survivors must confront: How to react toward his former masters; Is revenge-in-kind acceptable; Why did I survive and my family did not?
Elie Wiesel was awarded a Pulitzer Peace Prize and a Congressional Gold Medal for his activities after the war. NIGHT is, in part, autobiographical. Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor. Not all of his family survived.
The writing is clear and graphic. The story is suspenseful and compelling.
This is not light reading. But the events did happen and they must never be forgotten.
20 of 22 people found this review helpful
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, Israeli author and 1986 Nobel Peace Prizewinner, presents to us a compelling, haunting and disturbing story.
Beautifully written, autobiographical, this personal narrative reflects the views of a 14 year-old boy torn from his home and community in Transylvania in the Second World War. He is traumatised by his separation from his mother and little sister, witnessing their subsequent consumption by Nazi fires and vengeance. Through one traumatising experience to the next, he manages, by a sinew at times, to retain his link with his father, surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald... separated in the end by death and shame.
We follow the story of a Jewish community which could not contemplate the atrocities they would experience. They could not imagine the way in which the communities in which they were integrated would allow them to be expelled to concentration camps and annihilation. They could not foresee what it would be like to be marched out of their homes. "The town seemed deserted, but behind the shutters, our friends of yesterday were probably waiting for the moment when they could loot our homes".
They could not foresee the railway trucks full of Jews, the impact of scarcity and hunger and uncertainty on people's relationships. They could not have planned for the few hours they were given before they were expelled from their homes, burying valuable possessions under the floor-boards hoping one day, but never able, to reclaim their possessions. They could not imagine the cruelty, the violence, the humilation, the selection processes, the death factories, the fires, the trains, the labour camps, the public hangings, the beatings and the torture.
Elie wanders why and whether this is allowed to happen in the 20th century. He imagines the scenes of expulsions in the Inquisition, but not now when the whole world knew what was happening. And yet, the silence, the denials, and the lack of response prevailed.
"The ghetto was ruled by neither German nor Jew" he writes. "It was ruled ... by delusion".
Elie loses his trust in God and refuses to accept the existence of an all-knowing and all-good god who allows such barbarity to persist. We see stories of trust and reliability, love and warmth, tenderness and sacrifice. Wiesel writes beautifully and at times sparsely: "The synagogue resembled a railway station ... baggage and tears".
The recording contains additional material - Elie Wiesel's impressive Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech; his revised preface and discussion of why he wrote this book; and a valuable review of the book and its importance by Francois Mauriac, the French author who first encouraged Elie Wiesel to publish and assisted him after many failures, in getting into press.
The book is beautifully written, translated by his wife, and movingly read by George Guidall. Around three hours long it is a compelling and unforgettable audience with Elie Wiesel: haunting, disturbing, moving, human, insightful and lingering in the memory.
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp that turned my life into one long night, seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my god and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. Never shall I forget those things even were I condemned to live as long as god himself"
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
moving to the point of tears. we all know the stories but this personal account is heartrending and unmissable
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Spellbinding, tragic, harrowing, beautifully written and read. Some valuable extra material at the end helps put it into a context (if that's possible)
This is an absolutely heartbreaking recollection of crimes against the Jews during WWII. My only "criticism" is not against the excellent reading by the narrator, but as the story is told as per the eyes of a 15 year old, the aged voice of the narrator distracted a bit. The world should be learn from the horrors of the second world war, but we can see we haven't turning a blind eye to genocide around the world happening to peoples unimportant to the west or within own regions. "Never again" rings hollow and the "easy" resettlement isn't the answer.


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… And a few in WeHo. Part 2 of our coast-to-coast travelogue. Now up: L.A.
ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Life+Style Editor
West Hollywood, The Castro, P'Town, Chelsea, Key West, South Beach: The names alone of these locales are synonymous with gay culture. But just as Dallas boasts two gayborhoods in Cedar Springs and Oak Cliff, so does Los Angeles claim two queer destinations. The Silver Lake district — east of WeHo and abutting the hills of the San Fernando Valley — is one of the most populous gay ZIP codes in America. And if you have a car, there's no reason you can't enjoy both on the same trip.
The car requirement isn't merely a suggestion. L.A. has notoriously insufficient public transportation (watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for the backstory) and everything is pretty spread out — traffic is more congested than a kindergarten in January.
WeHo — centered mostly along a mile-long strip of Santa Monica Boulevard (the old Route 66) — deserves its reputation as queer central: Simply put, it is one of the gayest towns in America (its police cars are even decorated with rainbow colors). Crammed with shops, restaurants, gyms and clubs within two square miles, its population has remained fairly constant for 50 years (last census, about 34,000), but you could spend an entire day walking around without running out of things to do (while barely ever seeing a straight person).
A big Starbucks (known as "the gay Starbucks") has benches that look out on the strip for great people-watching opportunities. If you want more than coffee and a scone, though, Basix is an essential stop, with brunchy items available much of the day (try the delicious blackened ahi tacos).
For lunch (or dinner or even late-night bites), two unmissable eateries are right next to each other. Hamburger Haven is an institution a la Hunky's: a burger joint with a devoted following. The buns are grilled on the classic "sassy cheeseburger," and thick cut fries are must-haves; next door, Bossa Nova serves what it calls Brazilian cuisine, though its large portioned pasta dishes are the main staples with locals. Both are open well into the early morning hours, and for good reason: They are across the street from two popular gay clubs.
"Welcome to the fabulous Abbey, where the drinks are cheap and the boys are cheaper," one local jokes. Now 20 years old, The Abbey truly is a legendary club.
Designed to conjure a cloisters, it attracts a wide range of types (including straight clubbers) caught up in its energy, shirtless bartenders and go-go boys and girls.
Next door, Here Lounge is a unique and fun spot, a sports bar where you don't watch sports so much as fantasize about athletes. Even gay Angelenos marvel at their theme nights, like Hooker Casino on Saturdays and Stripper Circus on Wednesdays.
There are almost too many other clubs to count: Revolver, one of the oldest gay bars anywhere (it recently returned to its original name); Gym, a sports bar; Rage, where the young guys hang out; Trunks; and many more.
You can venture further out, though, and still have a great time. South of WeHo, The Grove and the abutting Farmers Market are great destinations, not only for shopping but for some history.
The Grove is a lovely, new, high-end outdoor shopping center (weekdays, Mario Lopez films exteriors for Extra here) with everything from Abercrombie & Fitch to Crate & Barrel. Next door, the Farmers Market — founded in 1934 — offers almost the opposite experience: Old-school charm. Stop by Loteria for some excellent tacos, or satisfy your craving for heat at Light My Fire, where hundreds of salsas (some with names like Colon Cleaner and Anal Angst) are for sale.
Into the Silver Lake area, a good pre-clubbing dinner stop is Malo along West Sunset Boulevard. For California Tex-Mex, it serves a super spicy house hot sauce with its chips (the sauce also accents the cheese chili rellenos), and the house infused tequilas are great. Try also the tres leches cake for dessert — one of the best anywhere.
When done there, haul over to The Eagle L.A., a predominant leather and Levi bar in town (emphasis on the word "dominant"). Skeevier than its Dallas counterpart but spacious and fun, it attracts an enthusiastic bearish clientele (a surprisingly popular subculture in slick, Botox-happy L.A.). Incredibly crowded on big nights like Mr. Eagle, it's a fun place even on an off-night with muscular, nearly naked bartenders. (In L.A., it's legal for porn to play in bars, and while not all take advantage of that, The Eagle sure does.)
Faultline, not too far away, is a rougher leather bar, and the straight club Little Temple is a gay-friendly spot to see interesting live music.
You don't need to get the totally "gay" experience to enjoy L.A., either. West of WeHo, Beverly Hills is the famous enclave of the wealthy, with pricey boutiques and lovely homes worth a drive. The city is also loaded with interesting architecture from the 1930 through the '50s, which you can enjoy in WeHo, Silver Lake or even the San Fernando Valley.
"The Valley" has a reputation as the pimply-faced stepbrother of central L.A., but there's interest there, too … and even some celebrity sighting opportunities. Aroma Cafe in the Studio City area is a large, hipster-friendly outdoor bistro that's ideal for hangover brunches, but just as good for a completely sober breakfast, especially for one of the huge omelets or an unusual but tasty version of chilaquiles. (It's also across the street from the Italian restaurant where the murder Robert Blake was accused of took place.)
Tool around slowly in Studio City or Burbanks, and you can see some of the facilities where TV shows like Will & Grace were shot. You might even see some celebs walking around or getting their dry-cleaning. That's Los Angeles for you.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 27, 2012.


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If Forrest Griffin (18-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is anything, he's a creature of habit, whether that habit is self-loathing, sarcasm or training.
The former two have endeared the former light heavyweight champ to fans since his win on "The Ultimate Fighter 1." The latter has kept him going after setbacks, and will keep him going after he fights former champ Tito Ortiz (16-10-1 MMA, 15-10-1 UFC) at UFC 148.
"I like training camps," Griffin said today. "You've got to get out of bed and do something, and wrestling around with dudes is what I want to do."
The subject of retirement was in the air today during a Q&A session in support of UFC 148, which takes place Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (main-card fights air on pay-per-view while prelims air on FX). The co-main event between Griffin and Ortiz serves not only as a rubber match but also as Ortiz's retirement fight.
Most of the session's questions were directed at Ortiz's decision to call it quits and what he plans to do with his life after Saturday. Among other things, Ortiz, who is scheduled to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the same day as UFC 148, said he was contemplating a job offer from ESPN, presumably as a commentator.
Prior to fight week festivities, Griffin joked that he would "retire from life" if he lost a second bout to Ortiz. But as his opponent pondered his next act, a more thoughtful Griffin emerged.
"Tito said something that kind of sparked me," he said. "He said, 'I'll die for this.' At first, it sounds kind of outlandish. But if you really think about it, in 20 or 30 years, if I'm remembered for anything, it's going to be for fighting. I was never a soldier, a fireman, or a cop. I never put my life on the line in another capacity.
"This is the closest thing to be a hero I'll ever come. So yeah, I'll die for this."
Griffin, a former UFC light heavyweight champ, was heartbroken after a first-round TKO loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 101 and upset following a first-round TKO loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in his most recent outing at UFC 134. But each time, he kept his demons at bay by staying in the gym.
"After I got beat up by Silva, I was pretty depressed, and this weird thing happened," Griffin said. "Every day, I just got in my car and I went to the gym. And no matter what I'm doing in life, that just seems to happen. Even if I don't intend to, my car goes right to the gym and I work out. I just really enjoy work. It's not something I'm ready to give up yet. You have setbacks and you get disappointed, and my frustration with the sport simply comes from me not being able to be better than I am, to keep working on things and not doing them."
Griffin has already wrestled with Oritz on two occasions. Ortiz bested him by split decision at UFC 59 while he earned a split nod at UFC 106. While he hoped to debut new skills in Saturday's fight, he said he wouldn't be surprised if the rubber match played out the same as in previous meetings.
"You've gotta think, he fought Rashad (Evans) at this apex," Griffin said. "The Rashad he fought … would have beat up a lot of guys. Pretty much everybody except that Jon Jones fella. But I don't know. I watched the fight with (Matt) Hamill; he showed great striking there. We'll see.
"I'd like to think, in my mind, I've prepared for every single scenario. I think once we get going, it will be the same kind of Tito, the same kind of Forrest. I think we're both going to come in with game plans, and I think it will fall into the same rhythm it has. But I'm ready if it doesn't."
Whatever happens, though, Griffin isn't putting his career on the line against Ortiz. He feels no need to look too deeply into the future. If anything, he's just gotten better at learning from his past.
"In the middle of the journey is no time to take a recollection," he said. "You're still in it. I have plenty of time for doing that later."
For more on UFC 148, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.


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New Mount Sinai Study Shows How to Eliminate Motion Sickness on Tilting Trains
Researchers found that adjusting the timing of when the train cars tilt as they enter and leave the curves can essentially eliminate motion sickness.
An international team of researchers led by scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that motion sickness on tilting trains can be essentially eliminated by adjusting the timing of when the cars tilt as they enter and leave the curves. They found that when the cars tilt just at the beginning of the curves instead of while they are making the turns, there was no motion sickness. The findings were published online Monday, July 25 in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal.
When a tilting train enters a curve, sensors on the front wheels of the train signal to the remaining cars when they should begin their tilt. In this reactive mode, since the sensors cannot be activated until the first car is in the curve, there is an inevitable delay in the onset of the tilt. In addition, the cars tilt more slowly. The researchers established that the late, slow rise in the velocity of the tilt during the curves coupled with the centrifugal force produced by the turn, causes motion sickness.
In contrast, when the curves were sensed from the geographic position of the train on the tracks, determined by a global positioning system (GPS), the tilts occurred earlier and were faster, and motion sickness was eliminated. In this predictive mode, lateral thrust was also reduced as the train rounded curves, making it much easier to walk in the aisles.
"This is a major breakthrough and a very practical solution to a problem affecting people's everyday lives," said Dr. Bernard Cohen, lead author of the study and Professor of Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
The Schweizerische Bundeshanen (SBB), the train system in Switzerland that requested this study, serviced 347 million passengers in 2010. The SBB wanted to order new trains that would maximize train speed and passenger comfort. Tilting trains are utilized world-wide to compensate for the centripetal acceleration during turns, allowing the trains to run faster. However, the tilting has also led to motion sickness.
"After seeing the results of the study, the SBB invested 3.2 billion Swiss francs for trains utilizing the results of the new technology that came from these experiments," said Dr. Cohen. "Hopefully we'll see this trend extend to other European and American markets as well."
During the study, the researchers placed angular velocity and lateral acceleration sensors on the front car in a seven-car train as well as on the heads of passengers. Over the course of about two months they used three control modes to evaluate the levels of motion sickness in 200 passengers: an untilted mode, a reactive mode based on the information from the front wheel set, and a predictive mode based on the information from the GPS. Passengers had no motion sickness in the untilted mode, showing that the lateral acceleration itself was not responsible for producing the discomfort. In this mode the train ran more slowly, however. The train ran equally fast in the predictive and reactive modes when it tilted, but passenger comfort was significantly better when the train tilted just at the onset and end of the curves in the predictive mode.
The Mount Sinai team collaborated with scientists from Zurich University Hospital, Brooklyn College of CUNY, SBB, and Alston Schienenfahzeuge AG, a European transport company.
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Established in 1968, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States. The Medical School is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by U.S. News & World Report.
The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2011, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 16th on its elite Honor Roll of the nation's top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Of the top 20 hospitals in the United States, Mount Sinai is one of 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and U.S. News & World Report and whose hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/.
Find Mount Sinai on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mountsinainyc
Twitter @mountsinainyc
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/mountsinainy


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Open to compromise: Obama prepares for budget talks
President Barack Obama and the House speaker, John A. Boehner, circled each other warily on Friday, defending their competing approaches for resolving the budget impasse even as both professed their willingness to reach common ground.
Obama, in his first formal remarks since the night of his re-election, said he would open discussions with congressional leaders next week to seek a compromise, and then, before an applauding crowd of supporters in the White House's East Room, defended the ''detailed plan'' that he campaigned on — including higher taxes on the wealthy.
''I'm not wedded to every detail of my plan. I am open to compromise. I am open to new ideas,'' he said. ''But I refuse to accept any approach that isn't balanced.''
''We have to combine spending cuts with revenue, and that means asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more in taxes,'' he said, calling for Congress to immediately extend existing tax rates for 98 percent of taxpayers.
Mr Boehner, citing a ''cordial'' conversation with the president on the morning after the election, said that he was ''hopeful that productive conversations can begin soon so that we can forge an agreement that can pass the Congress''.
But he insisted, as the Republicans put it throughout the campaign, that ''the problem with raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans is that more than half of them are small-business owners''. He added that ''raising tax rates will slow down our ability to create the jobs that everyone says they want''.
Their duelling appearances seemed almost like a reprise of the debates over tax proposals, which were the sharpest point of division in the presidential election.
Asked if the results of the election had weakened his hand, Mr Boehner said: ''There is a Republican majority here in the House. The American people re-elected the Republican majority.''
But many members of Congress clearly see recent events as creating an opening in the post-election session of Congress, when some retiring and defeated lawmakers could have a freer hand on voting for legislation, absent political consequences. Republicans were weakened by losing seats in both the House and the Senate, while Democrats are eager to move to issues such as immigration, which animated Latino voters and helped deliver victory on Tuesday.
''The conditions are there to act,'' Republican Senator Bob Corker, of Tennessee, said on Thursday. ''I think the environment is different now.''
New York Times
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Great Balls of Firearr. Greg Gilpin - Alfred Music Publishing
Goodness, gracious! ĀThis one is hot! ĀIt's the classic rock and roll tune made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1957, and it's still going strong in this easy arrangement, complete with an eight-measure piano solo/dance break. ĀHighly recommended!
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That's Kwame!
The best thing about being from Michigan is that you never know what's coming next and, as a result, you always have something to look forward to. Michigan football goes down the crapper but Michigan State basketball makes two impressive and improbable runs in successive years. The Lions are consistently terrible but the Red Wings are consistently good. The Pistons miss the playoffs after a terrible season but the Tigers are quietly putting together a decent season on the backs of a bunch of young guys.
And if there's one guy who personifies the ups and downs of the state, it's former Detroit mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick. The guy just goes from one extreme to the other.
Detroit may not be the city it used to be but you still have to have some clout to become mayor. Believing that same clout will then keep you out of trouble for cheating on your wife? That's Kwame.
Losing your job but then managing to avoid jail and landing a plum job that requires nothing but showing up to work makes for an impressive second act. Pissing off the court by violating probation and getting yourself thrown in jail for five years? That's Kwame.
And who knows what comes next? We could hope for economic recovery but that's so blase. Me, I want to see the former mayor flee to Canada and become a grizzly bear wrestling champion under an assumed name. The Michigan Wolverine. That's Kwame.


text: Main Content House Bill 5162 (2011) rss? friendly link printer friendly Friendly Link: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2011-HB-5162 Public Act 335 of 2012 (Effective: 10/16/2012) Find this PA in the MCL Sponsors Kurt Damrow - (primary)Ben Glardon, Mark Ouimet, Gail Haines, Sharon Tyler, Mike Callton, Holly Hughes, George Darany, Steven Lindberg, Timothy Bledsoe, Lesia Liss, Phil Cavanagh, Jim Ananich, Charles Smiley, Harold L. Haugh, Brandon Dillon, Douglas Geiss, Frank Foster, Amanda Price, Peter Pettalia, Jon Bumstead, Lisa Lyons, Mike Shirkey, Ray Franz, Matt Lori, Andrea LaFontaine, Ken Yonker, Bill Rogers, Peter MacGregor, Dave Agema, Bruce Rendon, Nancy Jenkins, Judson Gilbert, Kurt Heise, Philip Potvin, Paul Muxlow, Anthony Forlini, Eileen Kowall, Joel Johnson, Joan Bauer, Lisa Brown, Paul Clemente, Bob Constan, Kevin Cotter, Hugh D. Crawford, Kevin Daley, Cindy Denby, Jeff Farrington, Joseph Graves, Richard Hammel, Joe Haveman, Thomas Hooker, Matt Huuki, Shanelle Jackson, Marty Knollenberg, Kenneth Kurtz, Marilyn Lane, Richard LeBlanc, Pete Lund, Sean McCann, Mark Meadows, Margaret O'Brien, Rick Olson, Paul Opsommer, Rick Outman, Earl Poleski, Al Pscholka, David Rutledge, Harvey Santana, Roy Schmidt, Wayne A. Schmidt, Kate Segal, Deb Shaughnessy, Dian Slavens, Pat Somerville, Jim Stamas, Jon Switalski, Rashida H. Tlaib, John Walsh, Jimmy Womack, Dale W. Zorn (click name to see bills sponsored by that person) Categories Courts: circuit court; Courts: district court; Veterans: other; Courts; circuit court; veterans treatment court; create. Amends 1961 PA 236 (MCL 600.101 - 600.9947) by adding ch. 12. TIE BAR WITH: HB 5159'11 Bill Documents Bill Document Formatting Information [x] The following bill formatting applies to the 2011-2012 session:- New language in an amendatory bill will be shown in BOLD AND UPPERCASE.- Language to be removed will be stricken.- Amendments made by the House will be blue with square brackets, such as: [House amended text].- Amendments made by the Senate will be red with double greater/lesser than symbols, such as: <<Senate amended text>>. (gray icons indicate that the action did not occur or that the document is not available) Documents House Introduced Bill Introduced bills appear as they were introduced and reflect no subsequent amendments or changes. As Passed by the House As Passed by the House is the bill, as introduced, that includes any adopted House amendments. As Passed by the Senate As Passed by the Senate is the bill, as received from the House, that includes any adopted Senate amendments. House Concurred Bill Concurred bill is the version passed in identical form by both houses of the Legislature, issued prior to availability of the Enrolled bill. Public Act Public Act is a bill that has become law. Legislative Service Bureau Compiler Notes Public Act 35 of 2012 with Editorial InformationThis document analyzes: HB 5162 Bill Analysis House Fiscal Agency Analysis Summary As Introduced (05-10-12)This document analyzes: HB5159, HB5162 Floor Summary (05-23-12)This document analyzes: HB5159, HB5162 Senate Fiscal Analysis COMMITTEE SUMMARY (Date Completed: 7-17-12)This document analyzes: HB5159, HB5162 FLOOR SUMMARY (Date Completed: 7-23-12)This document analyzes: HB5159, HB5162 History (House actions in lowercase, Senate actions in UPPERCASE) Date JournalAction 11/10/2011HJ 93 Pg. 2635introduced by Representative Kurt Damrow 11/10/2011HJ 93 Pg. 2635read a first time 11/10/2011HJ 93 Pg. 2635referred to Committee on Judiciary 11/29/2011HJ 94 Pg. 2653printed bill filed 11/14/2011 5/10/2012HJ 46 Pg. 829reported with recommendation with substitute H-1 5/10/2012HJ 46 Pg. 829referred to second reading 5/23/2012HJ 51 Pg. 921read a second time 5/23/2012HJ 51 Pg. 921substitute H-1 adopted and amended 5/23/2012HJ 51 Pg. 921placed on third reading 5/24/2012HJ 52 Pg. 938read a third time 5/24/2012HJ 52 Pg. 938passed; given immediate effect Roll Call # 294 Yeas 108 Nays 0 5/24/2012HJ 52 Pg. 938title amended 5/24/2012HJ 52 Pg. 938transmitted 5/29/2012SJ 52 Pg. 971REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY 8/15/2012SJ 62 Pg. 1966REPORTED FAVORABLY WITHOUT AMENDMENT 8/15/2012SJ 62 Pg. 1966COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED IMMEDIATE EFFECT 8/15/2012SJ 62 Pg. 1966REFERRED TO COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1980REPORTED BY COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FAVORABLY WITH AMENDMENT(S) 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1980AMENDMENT(S) CONCURRED IN 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1980PLACED ON ORDER OF THIRD READING WITH AMENDMENT(S) 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1981RULES SUSPENDED 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1981PLACED ON IMMEDIATE PASSAGE 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1983PASSED; GIVEN IMMEDIATE EFFECT ROLL CALL # 617 YEAS 37 NAYS 0 EXCUSED 1 NOT VOTING 0 9/11/2012SJ 63 Pg. 1983INSERTED FULL TITLE 9/11/2012HJ 65 Pg. 2039returned from Senate with amendment(s) with immediate effect and full title 9/11/2012HJ 65 Pg. 2039laid over one day under the rules 9/27/2012HJ 71 Pg. 2165Senate amendment(s) concurred in Roll Call # 547 Yeas 108 Nays 0 9/27/2012HJ 71 Pg. 2165full title agreed to 9/27/2012HJ 71 Pg. 2165bill ordered enrolled 10/17/2012HJ 72 Pg. 2232presented to the Governor 10/3/2012 @ 2:34 PM 10/17/2012HJ 72 Pg. 2239approved by the Governor 10/16/2012 @ 11:44 AM 10/17/2012HJ 72 Pg. 2239filed with Secretary of State 10/16/2012 @ 4:15 PM 10/17/2012HJ 72 Pg. 2239assigned PA 335'12 with immediate effect


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Equine Piroplasmosis: An In-Depth Review (AAEP 2010)
- Jan 7, 2011
- Topics:
Equine piroplasmosis (EP), which is classified as a foreign animal disease, has made several appearances in the United States over the past few years, and it's causing concern at racetracks around the nation--the main locations at which EP has been diagnosed. But horse owners should be happy to know that their horses are likely not at risk for contracting the dangerous disease as long as their horses are being managed with industry-standard hygiene practices. Many of the EP cases diagnosed since 2008 were completely preventable, according to the panel members who presented during a special session on EP at the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md.
The session, moderated by Josie Traub-Dargatz, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor in the Animal Population Health Institute and the section of population health at Colorado State University, gave practitioners a timely in-depth review on EP and its impact on the American equine industry.
Equine piroplasmosis is spread through the transfer of blood; naturally, it is spread by certain species of ticks, however according to Traub-Dargatz it can also be spread by the reuse of needles, syringes, and other blood-contaminated equipment that has not been sanitized between uses. Two distinct agents cause the disease: the hemoprotozoas called Babesia caballi and B. equi. After a U.S. outbreak of the disease in the 1960s, extreme measures were taken to eradicate EP and the country was declared EP-free in 1988, said Traub-Dargatz.
Some horses infected with EP show few to no clinical signs, while others show various combinations of clinical signs that include fever, anemia, icterus (jaundice), and anorexia (the horse is off his feed). Some horses will also display colic with altered fecal consistency. The method of choice for diagnosing the disease is a laboratory blood test.
In August 2008 a Florida horse tested positive for EP, said Mike Short, DVM, equine program manager from the Florida Department of Agriculture. The investigation into the source of the disease found that several horses recently imported from Mexico (two of which tested positive for EP) likely carried the disease agent into the country.
Investigators diligently searched the horses for ticks and tested any that they found on horses or in closely surrounding areas, however they were not able to detect B. equi or B. caballi in the ticks. Finally, investigators determined that the likely means of transmission was the reuse of needles and/or syringes, and a practice called blood doping, Short said. All of the positive horses were involved in nonsanctioned horse racing, meaning that all the horses were likely managed using the less than optimal hygiene practices, he noted.
The Florida outbreak was well-controlled, Short added, with the final quarantines lifted in February 2009.
A very similar outbreak occurred in Missouri, beginning in June 2009. Again, the index case was a Quarter Horse that participated in nonsanctioned racing, said Angela Pelzel, DVM, a Western region epidemiologist with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. A total of eight horses were determined to be infected with EP, all of them sharing the same trainer as the index horse.
Extensive tick surveillance was conducted on the premises in Missouri, however only a few ticks were found and none were species capable of transmitting B. equi. Investigators believe the method of transmission of the disease agent was, again, the reusing needles and/or syringes among a group of horses and other less-than-optimal hygiene practices.
The only outbreak of EP that was determined to be spread by ticks was the outbreak on a large Texas ranch that produces horses for working cattle and other ranch activities. According to Pelzel, a total of 292 horses on the ranch tested positive for B. equi. After extensive testing of many horses that were sold and transported off the ranch prior to the EP diagnosis at the ranch, nearly 380 horses were determined to be B. equi-positive.
Authorities tested numerous ticks of several species from the property for B. equi, and it was determined that two of the types could spread B. equi between horses. It is believed that this is the only U.S. outbreak where the disease agent was spread by natural means in recent years.
Tracy Norman, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, of Texas A&M University reviewed the activities surrounding the Texas EP outbreak and the ongoing efforts in Texas to plan for the need to evacuate or move positive horses for veterinary care. She also provided valuable information on how to thoroughly examine a horse for the presence of ticks.
The panel indicated that researchers are using this expansive outbreak as a learning experience, however. They said the ranch operators have been cooperative in quarantining their horses and allowing researchers to learn all they can about EP during the investigation.
Scientists have been working on several aspects of research related to EP, including refining the taxonomy (science of classification) of the disease agent, developing more advanced diagnostic tools, and finding treatment options to potentially eliminate the infection in positive horses. Researchers are currently evaluating imidocarb dipropionate for the treatment of B. caballi and B. equi infected horses. Donald Knowles, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACV, research leader of the Animal Disease Research Unit of the Agricultural Research Service at the USDA, said that while imidocarb dipropionate has been proven an effective anti-babesial chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of clinical signs of disease, some other potentially dangerous issues with imidocarb dipropionate need to be addressed before the treatment method becomes standard.
For example, Knowles said that it's been suggested that some treatment regimens with imidocarb dipropionate might cause imidocarb dipropionate-resistant strains of both B. equi and B. caballi, which would complicate control plans, as the goal in the U.S. is to eliminate the transmission risk, not just to resolve the clinical signs.
Equine pirolplasmosis remains a foreign animal disease in the United States, despite having several outbreaks on U.S. soil in the past four years. But most horses in the nation remain at a low risk of contracting the disease, the panel noted.
"Owners can obtain more information on how to protect their horses against infection from ... the USDA, from their State or Federal Animal Health officials or from private veterinarians," Traub-Dargatz added.
Related Articles:
Understanding Piroplasmosis
About the Author
Erica Larson, News Editor
Erica Larson, news editor, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.
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POLL: Checking for Gastric Ulcers


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[SMH | Text-only index]
Date: November 15 2012
Queensland journeyman Matthew Guyatt has upstaged favourites Adam Scott and Ian Poulter to lead both by two shots after a blistering finish to his opening round in the Australian Masters at Melbourne's Kingston Heath.
The 37-year-old's putter ran hot as he nabbed three birdies in his closing four holes and eight overall, along with one bogey, to card a seven-under-par 65 on Thursday afternoon.
Australia's top-ranked player Scott shot a five-under 67 in the morning and in-form English defending champion Poulter matched that in the afternoon to be tied for second with New Zealander Michael Hendry.
Guyatt, who spent 1999 and 2000 on the professional circuit before dropping out, said it was only a chance meeting at a pro-am in 2010 with a man who has become his benefactor that he was able to return to the tour.
In the intervening time, he married and had three children, now aged eight to three, and became a teaching professional at Brisbane's Indooroopilly Golf Club.
He said with a mortgage and three kids, he couldn't have given up the financial security of that job without the support of the benefactor, a fellow Christian who wished to remain anonymous.
With a win in last year's NSW PGA Championship his biggest tour victory to date, he admitted he was unsure how he would handle leading the likes of Scott and Poulter.
"I've never been in this position before so I'll tell you tomorrow," he told reporters.
"It's what you do all your hard work and your practice for.
"We all know it takes four good days to win the tournament, especially against the calibre of those guys."
Earlier, initial frustrations with the putter kept Scott to even par on his opening nine holes, before a run of four straight birdies, including one from a huge putt on the par-four second (Scott's 11th) energised his round.
While Scott felt nine or 10-under might have been possible in the benign conditions, he was happy enough.
"I'm on my way," he said.
Poulter, surprised to find such conducive scoring conditions in the afternoon, knew nothing of Guyatt but refused to look ahead to a potential weekend showdown with Scott.
"It's Thursday. There's 120 players, not two," he said.
Of other big names, 2010 champion Stuart Appleby dropped three shots in his last two holes to finish one-under-par, a score shared by Irish 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, while two-time champion Robert Allenby shot even par.
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[ SMH | Text-only index]


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For the fifth consecutive year, the preterm birthrate in the U.S. continued its slow but steady downward trend, good enough to earn a C on a new March of Dimes report card.
The nations premature birthrate is 11.7 percent of all live births the lowest in a decade, according to figures from the National Center for Health Statistics. The March of Dimes has set a goal of 9.6 percent by 2020.
Were on the right track, having reversed a trend that included increases every year for decades, said Jennifer Howse, president of the nonprofit pregnancy and baby health group. Its 9.6 percent goal reflects the adoption of measures such as getting mothers to stop smoking and providing access to prenatal care.
In 2006, the nations preterm birthrate peaked at 12.8 percent after rising steadily for more than two decades. Preterm birth (before 37 weeks of completed pregnancy) is the leading cause of infant death during the first month of life.
Having 64,000 fewer preterm babies born from 2006 to 2010 resulted in healthier babies as well as a potential savings of roughly $3 billion in health care and economic costs, the report says.
Key signs of improvement in this years report:
Four states (Vermont, Oregon, New Hampshire and Maine) earned an A for meeting the 9.6 percent goal; in 2010, only Vermont earned the top grade.
45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico posted improved preterm birthrates from 2009 to 2011, earning 16 of them better grades.
The states with the highest preterm birthrates Mississippi (16.9 percent), Louisiana (15.6 percent) and Alabama (14.9 percent) are among 48 states, along with Puerto Rico (17.5 percent) and the District of Columbia (13.7 percent) that have all formally set goals to lower their preterm rates 8 percent by 2014 from their 2009 rates.
Although the preterm birthrate is not good enough yet, Howse says, there now is genuine national momentum and leadership to just stay at it until we get the job done.
Key factors that continue to drive the rate of premature births in the U.S. include maternal smoking, insufficient access to prenatal health-care services and late preterm births (infants born between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation).
Though late preterm babies are usually healthier than babies born earlier, they are three times more likely to die in the first year of life than full-term infants, the March of Dimes says. About 8 percent of deliveries are late-preterm, sometimes the result of medically unnecessary elective inductions and cesarean sections.
Its very, very important to try to support pregnancies so babies can be born as close to 39 to 40 weeks as possible, said pediatrics professor Deborah Campbell, director of Neonatology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
Just because a baby makes it to 37 or 38 weeks, what we call full term, doesnt mean that they are fully developed, Campbell said. These babies are more likely to end up in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), more likely to have acute health issues, and now were finding, more likely to have issues as they reach school age.
Babies need those extra weeks for full development of the brain and lungs, Howse said, adding that unless it is a medical necessity, women should wait until at least 39 weeks to schedule an induced labor or C-section.
Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon each year and more than 1 million of those infants die as a result. The U.S. ranked 131 out of 184 countries in premature births according to a May 2012 report by the March of Dimes, Save The Children and others.
© 2012 USA TODAY. All rights reserved.


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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Lawrence Public Library has received a prestigious national award for a marketing campaign that used trading cards to promote banned books.
The American Library Association announced this week that the library was one of eight in the country to win a 2013 John Cotton Dana Award. The award includes a $10,000 award and plaque.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports (http://bit.ly/ZmBUQR ) the library last year asked artists across the country to submit work depicting their favorite banned books. Winning artworks were reproduced on trading cards, which included a reason for banning each book.
The cards were sold online to buyers in every state and several foreign countries.
The Lawrence library plans to have the banned books trading card project again this year.
Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com


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STAGE TUBE: On This Day 7/27- A CATERED AFFAIR
Welcome to BWW's New Daily ON THIS DAY Series celebrating theatrical birthdays, openings and special events that took place on this day in theatre history!
Today in 2008, A Catered Affair closed at the Walter Kerr Theatre, where it ran for 116 performances. A Catered Affair is a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by John Bucchino. It is based on both the 1956 film The Catered Affair written by Gore Vidal and the original 1955 teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky, set in 1953 in the Bronx. John Doyle directed the production, which starred Fierstein, Faith Prince and Tom Wopat.
In celebration of this day, we bring you 'Vision' as performed by Faith Prince at the 2008 Tony Awards. Click below to check it out!
Click Here to Watch the Video!


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- Monaco Grand Prix
FIA blocks use of DRS in Monaco tunnel
- In Focus:
- News:
DRS won't boost overtaking in Monaco - Hamilton
- News:
Monaco could be 'more exciting than ever' - Rosberg
- Race:
- Monaco Grand Prix
- Circuits:
- Circuit de Monaco
The FIA has banned drivers from using the DRS overtaking wing in the Monaco tunnel at this weekend's grand prix.
The in-race overtaking zone spans just 300 metres on the start-finish straight, but the rear wing system can be used by drivers anywhere else on the twisty street circuit in practice and qualifying.
On safety grounds, however, the first exception of the season has been applied for the famous tunnel, which is technically not a straight but a fast right-hand bend.
The ban was confirmed by Charlie Whiting in a letter to Grand Prix Drivers' Association members, according to the Daily Telegraph. "We were made aware of drivers' concerns about using it and I've spoken to the drivers a few times about it, and it was quite clear the majority of them would prefer to not use it in Monaco," he told reporters last weekend in Spain.
Not everyone agrees with the drivers, however, including Renault team boss Eric Boullier. "The driver has to judge where he can safely activate the DRS," he said.
But former driver David Coulthard thinks the GPDA and the FIA are right in this case. "[The ban] seems like a sensible compromise," he said. "With the marbles that these tyres are producing, to venture off the racing line in that confined space could prove catastrophic. Better not to have the temptation."


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By Ben Golliver
The NBA announced Thursday that its referees missed a foul call on a controversial play that resulted in Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant suffering a sprained ankle while being defended by Hawks guard Dahntay Jones on Wednesday night.
With 4.9 seconds remaining in the Atlanta Hawks' 96-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant attempted a jump shot over the Hawks' Dahntay Jones. After review at the league office, video replay confirmed that referees missed a foul call on Jones as he challenged Bryant's shot and did not give him the opportunity to land cleanly back on the floor. Bryant should have been granted two free throws.
The NBA's ruling doesn't impact the result of Wednesday night's game and it doesn't carry with it any punishment for Jones, but it does offer a measure of vindication for Bryant, who is out "indefinitely" with a "severely" sprained left ankle. He was adamant that Jones should have been called for a foul on the play for sliding underneath him after the shot attempt.
"Dangerous play that should have been called," he wrote. "Period."
Jones disputed that assessment on his Twitter account.
"Tape doesn't lie," he wrote. "Ankle was turned on the floor after the leg kick out that knocked him off balance. I would never try to hurt the man. … Leg kick that makes contact with a defensive player is an [offensive] foul. Period. The NBA changed that rule [two years] ago. Stop it!"
Here's The Point Forward's full breakdown of the play and the debate. All things considered, this is a mildly surprising ruling, as Jones looked to be playing natural defense with the intent of doing his job and not injuring Bryant. Similar situations occur on a regular basis, without resulting in injury, and fouls in these situations are rarely called during game action and even more rarely noted after the fact in this manner. Had Jones' right foot been positioned a few inches to the left, or had Bryant taking a different jumping angle, the Lakers guard would have had the opportunity to land cleanly.
Chalking this up to a bad break at a terrible time for the Lakers apparently wasn't sufficient for the league office, which deserves credit for giving the play the closest possible examination considering the massive level of scrutiny involved. The ruling doesn't change anything, and it doesn't help Bryant get back to the court, but perhaps it does re-open the conversation about protecting shooters' ankles, something everyone should welcome.tweeted on Thursday afternoon


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Location: Location not imported yet.Title: Removing hexazinone from groundwater with microbial bioreactors Author
|Hunter, William
|Shaner, Dale
Submitted to: Current Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/11/2012
Publication Date: 2/2/2012
Citation: Hunter, W.J., Shaner, D.L. 2012. Removing hexazinone from groundwater with microbial bioreactors. Current Microbiology. 64:405-411. Interpretive Summary: The herbicide hexazinone is used in agriculture to control weeds. Because of its use it is sometimes encountered as a contaminant in surface or groundwaters. For this study two types of microbial reactors were evaluated as techniques for removing hexazinone from water. One type of reactor that was evaluated was a nitrogen-limiting biobarrier similar to one that we previously used to remove atrazine from a simulated groundwater. The other biobarrier studied was a slow-sand-filter. Results showed that the nitrogen-limiting biobarriers were not as consistent at removing hexazinone from flowing water as were the slow-sand-filters and that a long acclimation period was required. Two nitrogen-limiting barriers were studies, one removed hexazinone with a efficiency of 95% but the other with an efficiency of only 50%. Quicker and consistent results were obtained with the slow-sand-filters. Four slow-sand-filters were evaluated and all behaved in a similar manner degrading hexazinone with removal efficiencies of ~97%. Also, the acclimation period, though still present, was shorter than that observed with the nitrogen–limiting barriers. The presence of an acclimation period in both types of reactor and the isolation of hexazinone degrading bacteria suggest that the degradation was a biological process. The results suggest that aerobic slow-sand-filters can be used to remove hexazinone from water.
Technical Abstract: Hexazinone, a triazine herbicide that is often detected as a ground and surface water contaminant, inhibits electron transport in photosynthetic organisms and is toxic to primary producers that serve as the base of the food chain. This laboratory study evaluated the ability of two types of microbial reactors, i.e., a vegetable-oil based nitrogen-limiting biobarrier and an aerobic slow sand filter, as methods for removing hexazinone from simulated groundwater. N-limiting biobarriers degraded hexazinone, but did so with a 52 week incubation period and a removal efficiency that varied greatly between replicates, with one biobarrier showing a removal efficiency of ~ 95% and the other an efficiency of ~ 50%. More consistent degradation was obtained with the aerobic sand biobarriers. Four aerobic biobarriers were evaluated and all behaved in a similar manner degrading hexazinone with removal efficiencies of ~97%; challenging two of the aerobic biobarriers with large amounts of influent hexazinone showed that these barriers are capable of remediating large amounts, > 100 mg L-1, of hexazinone at high efficiency. The remediation process was due to biological degradation rather than an abiotic processes. The long lag phase observed in both types of reactors suggests that an acclimation process, where microorganisms capable of degrading hexazinone increased in numbers, was required. Also, the isolation of bacteria that show a positive growth response to the presence of hexazinone in their growth media suggests biological degradation.


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Could the Sacramento Kings be heading to Virginia Beach?
A report out of Virginia Beach says it's close to happening, while comments out west are shooting down the story.
The team's owners and Comcast-Spectacor are expected to visit Virginia Beach on Tuesday to make a pitch to relocate the Kings, according to an Inside Business (Hampton Roads, Va.) report. Comcast-Spectacor is being brought in to assist in building an arena.
"Comcast, Live Nation and Global Spectrum have come to the city," Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms told Inside Business last week. "They would guarantee us a professional sports team if the deal goes through."
The report goes as far as saying the Maloof family—owners of the Kings—will announce Wednesday, along with the city, that the team is moving.
Kings co-owner George Maloof told CBS13 in Sacramento on Thursday: "We haven't talked to Virginia Beach."
Chris Clark director of public relations for the Kings, expressed his surprise on Twitter on Thursday writing, "Virginia Beach? Huh?"
The team's spokesman, Eric Rose commented, "The Kings have been approached by numerous cities interested in buying the team and relocating it. We are not going to discuss which cities have approached the team and are not going to comment on every rumor. I can tell you that the Kings are 100 percent focused on putting a winning team on the court."
Sources told the business journal that Philadelpia-based Comcast will provide a 25-year lease on a new arena.
If the Kings do attempt to relocate, the move would have to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors.
The city of Sacramento and the Maloof family were unable to come to terms on a new arena deal in April.
"We worked really hard, we did everything we said we would do, and it still wasn't enough," Sacramento mayor and former NBA point guard Kevin Johnson said at the time.
George Maloof, told News10 in Sacramento previously about the proposed arena deal, "You want to do a deal that makes sense, not something that the day you sign it you go 'oh no.' We didn't feel it was good for the City either, quite frankly."


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Hey! I've only just began to learn C++ (or any programming for that matter), and I realize it will be a few years before I can begin making mods from games and stuff. But I was wondering If this scenario would be posible?
Would it be possible for me to take 2 different (but I think they would fit together good with a few creative adjustments) games and combined them together into 1 mod? I realize that while playing you would have to be in 1 game engine at a time. That they can not simply work together, but what if I made a host program that dirrected which game engine the players where in and allowed them to change from one engine into the other while keeping their scores and stats and things on the host(mother) program?
I was thinking like make a full multi-player online mod out of Tribes2 and Tachyon The Fringe. Were the players could have ground battles in the Tribes2 engine and then puchase ships to ingage in space battles and space travel in the tachyon engine. Mabe even a third type of battling could be included on the host(mother) program that could be more of a stratagy & team resourse/player command/management part.
So what do you think? Could it be done? Or am I just a dreamer thats out of luck? BOOGIEMAN.....ICQ: 104000501 peace.......


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I should have done this sooner!
2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
This Isimple gives me access to all the music and podcasts on my iPhone while charging the phone. It works as described.
Pros: Go to YouTube and you can see the Isimple in use. Works as described. CD sound quality. Charges phone while using.
Cons: I was not comfortable doing the install after. Looked at the process, so I paid a local shop to do that.


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The festival will begin May 10 with the Dardanelle High School Band opening the festivities at 4 p.m. Later that night, local musical acts Rawhide and Feedback will perform.
On May 11, the festival opens with a Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast beginning at 6 a.m. Several live musical acts will perform later that day, including Some Guy Named Robb, Three on a Tree, Street Water, Caitlin Miller and Merilee Voth.
Yell Fest has free admission.