A diamond celebration for a solid silver choir ; memories

Bath's Silver Ring Choir celebrates it 60th birthday this monthwith a special celebration dinner at the Guildhall on Saturday,October 29.

Lots of former choir members have been found and will beattending the dinner but they are still helping to find more 'lost'members in time for the end of the month.

The Silver Ring Choir of Bath was formed by Kelvin Thomas in 1951and he remained conductor until 1988.

During those 37 years the choir grew from strength to strength,taking part in competitions and eisteddfods across Britain.

They could be heard regularly on the BBC, taking part in andwinning the mixed voice class of Let the People Sing on more …

McCann's Bat Helps Braves Break Through

ATLANTA - Brian McCann delivered the slump-busting big hits the Atlanta Braves desperately needed. McCann's run-scoring single gave the Braves their first lead in a week, and he added a three-run homer to lift Atlanta to a 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

The Braves snapped a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season. The streak included four shutout losses.

In the only game in that stretch they were not shut out, the Braves managed only one run - on a Chipper Jones homer - in a 2-1 loss to Detroit on Saturday.

The Braves ended a streak of 48 innings without holding a lead when McCann's fourth-inning single drove in Edgar …

Willis to return to Tigers, pitch next week

Detroit Tigers left-hander Dontrelle Willis is ready to return to the major leagues.

Manager Jim Leyland said Thursday that Willis, who has been on the disabled list since March 29 because of anxiety disorder, will start next Wednesday against the Twins in Minnesota.

"He can't really benefit any more down there, so it's time to find out," Leyland said before the Tigers played the Chicago White Sox. "So we'll find out."

Willis made his fourth minor league rehab start Wednesday night, giving up two runs in 7 2-3 innings while walking four and striking out four.

Leyland said reports had Willis throwing his fastball …

Fascinating Fabric Facts Fill Textile Encyclopedia

Exactly what is a challis? How are patterns printed on fabric?Is silk really made from silkworms? What is the jacquard weavingprocess? Who was John Kay and what did he contribute to the textileindustry?

These questions and many, many more are answered in a newresource book, the Encyclopedia of Textiles (Facts on File, $45).It's a must for any serious textile library, because no matter howmuch you think you know about fabrics, there is always something moreto learn.

Author Judith Jerde, a consultant, lecturer and writer aboutclothing and textiles, has compiled a myriad of fascinating factsabout fabrics and fibers - their history, manufacture, care …

Verifying Nuclear Disarmament: The Inspector's Agenda

In the past year, support for moving toward eventual nuclear disarmament has gathered force. In early 2007, an op-ed by four influential U.S. policy shapers, two Republicans and two Democrats, called on the nuclear-weapon states to "turn the goal of a world without nuclear weapons into a joint enterprise."1

Reaching this goal will require overcoming many political, diplomatic, and technical obstacles. In a June 2007 keynote address to the Carnegie International Nonproliferation Conference, former British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett embraced the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and sought to help with this task by offering her country as a "disarmament laboratory."2 What …

Belgium's Flemish region cuts subsidy for Volvo car plant to win EU approval

Belgium's Flemish region has reduced a subsidy to fund training at Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo car plant to win European Union approval for the payment, the European Commission said Tuesday.

The EU executive cleared the regional government to give Volvo a euro3.54 million (US$5.44 million) grant to pay the costs of basic training to help workers secure better qualifications _ well below the euro6 million (US$8.3 million) initially planned.

The EU said Belgium and Volvo had agreed not to pay for training …

He works, and plays De La Salle star Bogusevic is on a tear

De La Salle's Brian Bogusevic is a humble young man.

The Tulane-bound pitcher-outfielder is hitting .568 (21-for-37)this season, but he still doesn't seem pleased.

I started out slow but I've been coming around a little the lastfew games," Bogusevic said. Lately I've been hitting balls a littlebit harder."

In fact Bogusevic was hitting .400 through his first seven games,an average that many other players wouldn't mind having.

The modest senior seems intently focused on his team's performanceinstead of his own. The No. 9 Meteors were 13-1 through Tuesday.

Right now it's going pretty well for us," said Bogusevic, who is 3-0 on the mound. We're playing …

Sludges as effective as synthetic fertilizer

Ona, Florida

In crop trials at the University of Florida's Range Cattle Research Center, Martin Adjei and Jack Rechcigl compared effects of different kinds of sewage sludge with commonly used synthetic nitrogen fertilizer on forage crops. Evaluations were done for yield, protein and mineral content, digestibility as well as accumulation of heavy metals and nutrients in crops, groundwater and soil. According to a summary report in Resource, their study …

Reports: Argentina's Coloccini to join Newcastle

Argentina defender Fabricio Coloccini will reportedly join Newcastle from Deportivo La Coruna.

Newcastle is said to have agreed to a fee of around euro12 million (US$18.7 million) for the much-traveled Coloccini, who will sign a five-year contract.

Sports daily Marca on Saturday quoted Coloccini's agent, Marcelo Lombilla, as saying that Newcastle's offer, which reportedly doubles his salary at Deportivo, was "almost …

Western coal share on the rise

IN West Virginia, it seems sometimes that good is so intertwinedwith the bad that you can't distinguish the separate strands.

The state's coal mining history is that way, risk coming hand inhand with opportunity, jeopardy tagging along with possibility.

Coal mining raised up poor Appalachian residents. It providedthem homes and work, hard but steady. But slipped in along with thepaycheck was the chance of early death, quick in a mine collapse orslow from black lung.

Appalachian music legend Hazel Dickens, daughter of a MercerCounty mining town, sings of black lung, "As you reach for my bodyand torture my soul/Cold as that water-hole down in the dark cave/Where …

Interim PM Urges Thaksin to Stay Away

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's ousted prime minister should not return home until after elections scheduled to be held a year from now because his reappearance could ignite clashes, the head of the country's post-coup government said Sunday.

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been living in London, where he owns an apartment, since being deposed by a military coup in September. There have been rumors that Thaksin might try to slip back into Thailand.

"I think the most appropriate time is after we have a general election and a new government," said interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, who was appointed by the military after the coup and will remain in …

Taylor's Wound Tough to Treat, MD's Say

The type of wound suffered by Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor is among the most difficult to fix, trauma experts said Tuesday after the 24-year-old gunshot victim died in a Miami hospital.

Even in a healthy young athlete with access to top trauma care, gunfire tearing through the main artery of the upper leg and abdomen can cause quick, massive blood loss. Doctors who treated Taylor have not given details of his injury or his emergency surgery, but several experts speculate that blood loss is likely what killed him.

Taylor was shot at his Miami home early Monday by an apparent intruder and airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The body …

Hundreds of Sudanese demonstrate in front of UN building in show of solidarity with Gaza

Several hundred Sudanese demonstrated Tuesday in front of a U.N. building here to show their solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and demand the United Nations intervene in the crisis.

The protesters, many of whom were students, shouted slogans including "No for the killing of Palestinians. No for the killing of civilians." They also handed over a letter to the U.N. office that was addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling on him to try to end the Israeli blockade against the Palestinians.

Student demonstrators affiliated with the Khartoum State Students Union, which is controlled by pro-Islamist groups, dressed in their school uniforms and shouted "Down, down USA" and "Allahu akbar," which means "God is great" in Arabic.

"We have taken part in this demonstration to express our discontent with the way the world community is standing by while Palestinian civilians are being massacred, humiliated and killed by the Zionists" Fatahi Khalil, who heads the pro-government Organization for the Support of the People, told The Associated Press.

Riot police guarded the U.N. compound, and demonstrators were kept at bay during the hour-long protest. After Khalil and student representatives handed the letter to the office, the demonstrators dispersed peacefully.

On Tuesday, Israel delivered fuel for Gaza's power plant, partially lifting the blockade it had imposed on the Strip last week in response to an increase in rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. Gaza City had plunged into darkness on Sunday night after its power plant was shut down because it did not have enough fuel to operate, cutting off electricity to about one-third of Gaza's residents.

The latest round of Israel-Gaza fighting erupted last week, amid a spike in rocket fire on Israeli border communities, and prompted Israel to seal the territory and cut off fuel supplies. International aid groups have warned they may have to suspend food distribution to hundreds of thousands of people by the end of the week for lack of truck fuel.

So how much do you love your cat? Pet cloning company ready to start up lab in Wisconsin

WAUNAKEE, Wis. -- David Cheng says his deceased cat Shadow waspart of his family -- "like my brother or my son."

After taking in the abandoned black-and-white domestic short-hairin graduate school, Cheng came to love his pet's penchant for comingon command, and scooping up instant noodles with its paws.

So when Shadow died in November after a yearlong fight withcancer, Cheng was saddened, but prepared. He spent $1,500 to bankaway two sets of his pet's DNA so he could one day create Shadow'sclone, Shadow 2.

"I'm not looking for a cat to behave exactly the same. As a matterof fact, it won't," said Cheng, a 36-year-old computer engineerliving on the East Coast. "It's more of, I save part of his memoryand make the grieving process a little bit easier."

1,000 have banked DNA

Cheng is among nearly 1,000 people who have banked their pets' DNAwith Genetic Savings and Clone Inc., which became the world's firstfirm to deliver a cloned cat to order in December and is nowestablishing operations in Wisconsin.

Cloning is a process in which an animal's genetic material can beharvested from cell tissue, implanted in an empty egg and insertedinto the womb of a surrogate animal that gives birth to its geneticclone.

Like many others, Cheng said he is waiting for the company to cutits prices, which were dropped in February to $32,000 from an initial$50,000.

While it is unclear what the demand for pet clones is, many saydecreasing the price will help spur an untapped market -- as long asthe company can survive legal and ethical challenges.

The company plans to ramp up production and cut costs at thelaboratory it plans to open in June in the Wisconsin village ofWaunakee. It is consolidating its cloning operations there, whilekeeping headquarters in Sausalito, Calif.

AP

Michelle Gay

OAKVILLE, CANADA

Michelle Gay

OAKVlLLE GALLERIES

"Interfaces and Operating Systems," the title of this exhibition - a survey of recent work by Michelle Gay, elegantly arranged by curator Marnie Fleming - may at first seem a reference to the digital technology present in most of the pieces. But such a coldly literal interpretation actually misses the point. The subject of a work like timer (swat), 2004, for example, is not computers, per se, but how we modern subjects interface with the world - the cultural systems by means of which we operate. A surprisingly intimate piece, the work features a collagelike digitally animated image of the artist displayed on a desktop monitor hung on the wall. Her elongated legs move back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. While swaying, she repeatedly reaches upward to swat from her body, as if they were pesky insects, live digital readouts of the time, which then float away and fade into space. Three strands of hair extend vertically, like electrical wires, from her head, suggesting she is hooked up, perhaps painfully, to the regimented temporalities of conventional society.

For the installation stretchpoem (promises), 2008-2009, Gay again employs her software expertise, this time to tackle the subject of language. A pressure-sensitive touch pad located at the center of a darkened gallery allows authences to activate projections of 3-D texts; they consist of assurances such as I promise you a BETTER DAY WILL COME OF I PROMISE I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. At first imperceptibly small, the statements inflate and rush toward the beholder, a juggernaut of clich�s, suggesting the onslaught of talking points associated with politicians, preachers, or real estate developers. As one grows more adept at manipulating the touch pad, it becomes possible to slow the words' rapid movement; one feels as though one were actually touching and caressing these age-old platitudes of rhetorical persuasion. Here, the artist indicates a cautious belief in the significance of personal input, or even critique. Such restrained hopefulness is further revealed in looploop, 1999-2001, for which authences don headphones playing atmospheric music and manipulate with a mouse text fragments displayed on a monitor. Sampled from diverse poetic sources, the phrases move in response to swirling mouse movements, conveying their content in ways that strike notes both arbitrary and profound. The exercise is a whimsical one, but the combinations that form never reach a fully satisfying level of coherence or expressiveness. Caught in the predetermined language of culture, one is left simply talking in circles.

The consequences of language's inadequacy as a means of expression as well as its misuse - in media contexts ranging from advertising to propaganda - are surreally and poetically addressed in Ledger Drawings, 2008-2009, two groups of sketches in graphite and gouache arranged as a pair of grids. Rendered on gridded sheets taken from a vintage ledger pad, these images feature subjects that are by turns playful and unsettling: stylized or fragmented bodies; curving or hazardous ladders; excitedly gesticulating or bent politicians. Like Gay's interactive pieces, the work demands a personally intuitive process of accounting, selecting, and summing-up of fragmented motifs and statements. At the same time, the renderings are executed so that they partly cover the ledger papers' grids, suggesting a degree of resistance to contemporary culture's regimentation. Impressively adept at fusing new and retro technologies, Gay reminds us that through individual gestures we might manipulate the ideological messages that are constantly imposed on us, and, in doing so, find room to breathe.

- Dan Adler

Metronidazole sensitivity testing of Helibacter pylori: The importance of media

Abstract: Successful triple-therapy treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection depends upon metronidazole (Mz) susceptibility, and many hospital laboratories routinely screen H. pylori isolates for Mz resistance using disc diffusion methods. We report the importance of culture medium when testing for metronidazole susceptibility. In this laboratory, Mz resistance in strains of H. pylori from patients in our area was found in approximately 80%. In other areas, Mz resistance is found in approximately 30%. This high rate of Mz resistance was not reflected clinically. Added haemin (X factor) and menadione in the culture medium drastically reduced zone size to Mz and also interfered with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) as determined by Etestt. When strains of H. pylori were re-tested on media which did not contain X factor or menadione, Mz resistance fell from 80% to 39%, a level similar to that seen in other areas.

Key words: Culture media. Helicobacter pylori. Metronidazole.

Introduction

Helicobacter pylori was first isolated from the gastric mucosa of patients with histological gastritis.' It has since been identified worldwide as a common infection involving the upper gastro-intestinal tract. It is the cause of type-B gastritis,2 plays a significant pathogenic role in duodenal and possibly gastric ulcers,3 and in gastric cancer.4 The organism is found on the gastric mucosa and in the gastric crypts throughout the stomach, and is protected from gastric acid, to which it is susceptible, by mucus. It may also occur in the duodenum, in association with metaplastic gastric mucosa.4

H. pylori is found throughout the world, but the incidence is much higher in developing countries where infection occurs early in childhood.' Over 80% of young adults may be infected in these areas, compared with a maximum of 40% in developed countries. Socio-economic status is a risk factor for infection.6 So far, the mode of transmission remains unclear.

H. pylori is a relatively difficult infection to treat, as the gastric habitat offers sanctuaries that partially shelter the organism from the topical or luminal effects of some antibiotics. H. pylori has also shown a tendency to acquire resistance rapidly to many classes of antibiotics given as a monotherapy. No current treatment will eradicate H. pylori in all cases. The two combinations most widely used are triple therapy or a combination of amoxycillin with omeprazole, and both have drawbacks. Triple therapy comprises colloidal bismuth subcitrate, tetracycline hydrochloride and metronidazole (Mz). This combination, taken for two weeks, provides eradication in 80-90% of cases. However, 3040% of patients experience side-effects which affect compliance.7

Resistance to Mz has considerable impact upon the success of triple therapy. In developing countries and among ethnic minorities where Mz is widely used to treat Giardia infections, resistance is endemic.8 This leads to a low cure rate when this therapy is used.

It is important for the laboratory to monitor current treatments. So far, only Mz resistance has been a problem and therefore it is important to test the susceptibility of the organism to this antibiotic, both before commencing treatment and in the case of treatment failure.

The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) agar dilution test is regarded as the best method for testing for antibiotic resistance,9 but it is uneconomical for small numbers of isolates. Most laboratories, therefore, use disc diffusion which correlates well with the MICs obtained by agar dilution.8 Recently, an Etest(R) (Cambridge Diagnostic Services, Cambridge, UK) has become available for Mz sensitivity,' and this is suitable for testing single isolates.

Our laboratory has reported a high level of Mz resistance: 80% compared to 30% in other epidemiological surveys.8 The aim of this study was to determine if this was due to laboratory practice, and, if so, to find an improved method for Mz sensitivity testing.

Materials and methods

Isolation of H. pylori and metronidazole susceptibility testing

At Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale, endoscopy biopsies were sent to the microbiology laboratory in brain heart infusion broth (BHIB) (Lab M, Bury, UK) containing 0.4% yeast extract (Lab M) and 10% horse serum (Tissue Culture Services, Claydon, Bucks, UK). The specimens were inoculated onto Columbia blood agar (CBA) (Tissue Culture Services) containing haemin (X factor), and nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide (V factor), 5% horse blood (Tissue Culture Services) and menadione. Two 5-gg Mz discs (Becton Dickinson, Oxford, UK) were added, one on the main inoculum and one on a thinner area of the inoculum. The plates were incubated in a microaerophilic atmosphere generated in an anaerobic jar11 using a gas pack (Oxoid Campylobacter System BRS6) and an anaerobic low-temperature catalyst (Oxoid BR42) (Oxoid, Basingstoke, Hants, UK). The jars were incubated at 35C for five days. The direct Mz sensitivity was interpreted from the initial culture, any zone being reported as sensitive.

Effect of culture media on metronidazole susceptibility

Two strains of H. pylori showing resistance to Mz on CBA with added X and V factors and menadione were sub-cultured onto fastidious anaerobe agar (FAA) (Lab M) containing 5% horse blood, and onto chocolate diagnostic sensitivity test agar (DSTA) (Lab M) containing 5% horse blood. It was found that both strains were susceptible to Mz on these media. Chocolate DSTA was difficult to read due to the translucentb nature of the colonies, whereas large zones of suceptibility were evident on FAA.

Effect of X factor, V factor and menadione on metronidazole susceptibility

Four strains of H. pylori were tested for Mz susceptibility on four different culture media using a standard inoculum (Macfarland's 4) (bioMerieux, Basingstoke, Hants, UK):

1 CBA without added factors

2 CBA with added V factor (12.5 (mu)g/L)

3 CBA with added X factor (12.5 (mu)g/L)

4 CBA with added menadione (2.5 (mu)g/L).

Four Mz discs were placed on the surface of the medium, and the cultures were incubated at 37C under micro-aerophilic conditions for 48 h. Bacteroides fragilis was used as a control. The zone sizes were measured.

Determination of optimum culture conditions

Nine strains of H. pylori were inoculated onto FAA, CBA and CBA with added X factor and menadione. These strains were incubated in four different ways:

1 An Mz disc (5 pg) was added, and the plates incubated micro-aerobically for 72 h.

2 An Mz disc (5 jig) was added and the plates preincubated anaerobically for 24 h, followed by 48 h in a micro-aerophilic atmosphere.

3 An Etest(R) strip was added and the plates incubated

micro-aerobically for 72 h.

4 An Etest(R) strip was added and the plates preincubated anaerobically for 24 h, followed by 48 h in a micro-aerophilic atmosphere.

Zone diameters around the discs were measured and MIC results were recorded from the Etest(R).

Comparison of metronidazole suscepitibility using disc diffusion and Etest(R) on fastidious anaerobe agar

Mz susceptibility of 48 strains of H. pylori was determined on FAA using Mz discs (5 jig) and Etest(R), using different incubation conditions:

1 Micro-aerophilic incubation for 72 h

2 Anaerobic pre-incubation for 24 h, followed by micro-aerophilic incubation for 48 h.

Statistical tests

Correlation between zone diameters and MICs determined by Etest(R) was calclated using the Instat statistical package.

Results

Effect of X factor, V factor and meNd:one on metronidazole susceptibility

The addition of X factor and menadione to CBA inhibited Mz susceptibility in two of the strains (2 and 3) tested (Table 1). This effect was peculiar to H. pylori. Bacteroides fragilis was fully sensitive to Mz on CBA supplemented with X factor, V factor and menadione (zone diameter: 35 mm).

Determination of optimum cultural conditions

When incubated for 72 h under micro-aerophilic conditions using 5 (mu)g Mz discs, eight out of nine strains (89%) showed total resistance to Mz on CBA with X factor and menadione, compared to three out of nine strains (33%) when incubated under the same conditions on FAA and CBA without added factors (Table 2). In all strains, the MIC determined by Etest(R) was >32 mg/L when grown on CBA with added X factor and menadione. Only three out of nine strains (33%) showed the same MIC on CBA and FAA.

Twenty-four hour anaerobic pre-incubation of the plates resulted in increased zone sizes in six out of nine strains (66%) on FAA and CBA, and two out of nine strains (22%) when grown on CBA with added X factor and menadione. Twenty-four hour anaerobic pre-incubation resulted in a decrease in the MIC of Mz in four out of nine strains (44%) and an increase in the MIC in two out of nine strains (22%) on FAA. There was a decrease in MIC in six out of nine strains (66%) on CBA and a decrease in MIC in three out of nine strains (33%) when grown on CBA with added X factor and menadione.

Comparison of metronidazole susceptibility using disc diffusion and Etest(R) on fastidious anaerobe agar

The relationship between zone diameter and MIC obtained using the Etest(R) was correlated. The results obtained after 72 h micro-aerophilic incubation gave a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9518 (Instat statistical package). When the same strains were pre-incubated under anaerobic conditions for 24 h, followed by 48 h micro-aerophilic incubation, the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.7119. In addition, anaerobic preincubation for a 24 h period resulted in increased zone diameter and MIC.

Of the 48 strains tested on FAA, 29 (60.4%) were sensitive to Mz and 19 (39.6%) were resistant. Previous results of 58 strains identified in the laboratory, using CBA with added X factor, V factor and menadione, showed that 11 (19%) were sensitive to Mz and 37 (64%) were resistant.

Discussion

H. pylon is usually treated by combination therapy, but an increasing level of Mz resistance2 has led to routine laboratory testing of Mz susceptibility.

At Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale, the rate of Mz resistance prior to this study was 80%, which was higher than incidence rates reported by other hospitals. Other workers have used CBA for Mz sensitivity testing of H. pylori8,13 and have reported lower rates of Mz resistance. Two strains of H. pylori which had previously appeared to be Mz-resistant, were selected and found to be Mz-sensitive on DSTA and FAA. Although H. pylori grew on the chocolate DSTA, the zone edge was difficult to determine. The zone edge was easier to distinguish on FAA medium.

The CBA used routinely in our laboratory included both X and V factors plus menadione, added to the basic medium as additional growth factors. As other workers using CBA have not reported a high level of Mz resistance, the effect of these additional factors on Mz susceptibility was investigated. It was found that the six strains which would have been reported as sensitive to Mz using FAA without pre-incubation were all found to be resistant when X factor and menadione were added to the medium. It is important to note that four of the sensitive strains showed smaller zone diameters around the Mz disc on FAA than on CBA without X and V factors. FAA contains small quantities of added X factor, and this could account for the slight inhibition seen.

Once it was established that the CBA used was unsuitable for testing Mz sensitivity of H. pylori, a new laboratory protocol was introduced. This included anaerobic pre-incubation and micro-aerophilic incubation to compare the results obtained using a greater number of strains. Mz disc and Etest(R) were also tested in parallel. There was good correlation between zone diameter and MIC, and there was an increase in the level of sensitivity when anaerobic pre-incubation was included. It was decided to use disc sensitivity testing in preference to Etest(R) to reduce cost. Anaerobic pre-incubation of the plates gave larger zone sizes, but there remains some doubt about its accuracy, and its routine use is not recommended until further work is carried out.

Anaerobic pre-incubation for 24 h increased zone diameter and MIC in some of the nine strains, and this depended upon the medium used. In some cases, the difference was sufficient to change the result from resistant to sensitive, and in almost every case there was a significant increase in susceptibility. Although anaerobic pre-incubation affects Mz susceptibility in vitro, further work is needed to relate these effects to the clinical outcome.

Overall, using FAA as a sensitivity medium under micro-aerophilic conditions, the percentage of resistant strains was reduced to 39.6% which compared well with the rest of the western world (15-35% resistants). This figure may have been reduced further if a sensitivity medium without any added X factor was used.

As a result of this work, the following protocol for the culture of biopsy specimens and the Mz sensitivity testing of H. pylori is suggested: Culture all biopsies on CBA and a selective medium containing antibiotics. Incubate under micro-aerophilic conditions for 72 h. Test suspect colonies for urease. Inoculate all positive isolates into tryptone water to a concentration equivalent to McFarland's standard Number 3, and lawn CBA without additional X factor, V factor and menadione. Place a 5 (mu)g Mz disc in the centre and incubate microaerophilically for 72 h. Perform catalase and oxidase tests and a Gram stain of the colony to identify the organism as H. pylori. Sensitivity is indicated by a zone of 15 mm or more around the Mz disc. It is essential that additional factors are not added to media used for sensitivity testing.

[Reference]

References

[Reference]

I Marshall BJ, Warren JR. Unidentified curved bacilli in the stomach of patients with gastritis and peptic ulceration. Lancet 1984; 1:1311-15.

Marshall BJ. Campylobacter pylori: its link to gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Rev Infect Dis 1990;12:S:87-92. Maddocks AC. Helicobacter pylori (formerly Campylobacter pylori/lis/pylori) 1986-1989: a review. J Clin Pathol 1990; 43:353-6.

[Reference]

Parsonnet J, Friedman GD, Vandersteen DR et al. Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk of gastric carcinoma. N Engl3:tJ Med 1991; 325:1127-31.

Sullivan PB, Thomas JE, Wight DGD et al. Helicobacter pylori in Gambian children with chronic diarrhoea and malnutrition. Arch Diseases Child 1990; 65:189-91.

Graham DY, Malaty HM, Evans DG et al. Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori in an asymptomatic population in the

[Reference]

United States. Effects of race and socioeconomic status. Gastroenterology 1991; 100:149-55.

7 Graham DY, Lew GM, Malaty HM et al. Factors influencing the eradication of Helicobacter pylori with triple therapy. Gastroenterology 1992; 102:493-6.

8 De Cross AJ, Marshall BJ, McCallum RW et al. Metronidazole susceptibility testing for Helicobacter pylori: comparison of disc, broth and agar dilution methods and their clinical relevance. 7 Clin Microbiol 1993; 31:1971-4.

9 McNulty CA, Dent MI, Wise R. Susceptibility of Campylobacter pyloridis to 20 antimicrobial agents. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1985; 30:510 II.

10 Hirschl AM, Hirschl MM, Rotter ML. Comparison of three methods for the determination of the sensitivity of Helicobacter pylori to metronidazole.Antimicrab Chemother 1993; 32:45-9. 11 Cederbrant G, Kahlmeter G, Ljungh A. Proposed mechanism for metronidazole resistance in Helicobacter pylori. . Antimicrob Chemother 1992; 29:115-20.

12 Glupczynski Y, Burette A. Drug therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection: problems and pitfalls. Am jr Gastroenterol 1990; 85: 1545-51.

13 Glupczynski Y, Labbe M, Hansen W, Crokaert E, Yourassowsky E. Evaluation of the E-test for quantitative antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Helicobacter pylori. T Clin Microbiol 1991; 29:2072-5.

[Author Affiliation]

KATHLEEN J. TAYLOR, VALERIE EDWARDS-JONES* AND MAVIS ARMITAGE

Department of Microbiology, Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 9QB and *Department of Biological Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, England, UK

Accepted 17 October 1997)

[Author Affiliation]

Correspondence to Kathleen Taylor

Author rides on `Brat Pack' image

BOSTON When Tama Janowitz appeared here in the lobby of theRitz-Carlton Hotel, she fit her image as the trendy, young New Yorkauthor who stars in liqueur commercials and fashion layouts when sheisn't writing novels about Manhattan's nightlife.

In Boston to promote her third book, A Cannibal in Manhattan(Crown Publishers, $17.95), the 30-year-old Janowitz wore a tinyblack miniskirt, a bright orange sweater and black, elfin boots. Herlong black hair was teased high above her head, with strands hangingin front of her face. Bright red lipstick, slightly smeared, set offher pale face.

The theatrics ended when she began to talk about her writing andher growing celebrity as one of the new crop of young authors,including Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis.

"They're calling us the Literary Brat Pack," said Janowitz, whogrew up all over the country but now lives in New York City. "For thefirst time, we're reaching a new, huge audience of kids who grew upwith MTV. The books are interesting. We're dealing with issues thatare of concern to them."

But as popular as they are with New York's social set, theLiterary Brat Pack has been criticized for lacking substance andpolished writing. Janowitz and Ellis were skewered in a recent NewYorker article, which portrayed them as gimmicky and commercial.

Janowitz achieved fame when her short-story collection, Slavesof New York, was published last year. She socialized with AndyWarhol, appeared on "Late Night With David Letterman," shot severalAmaretto ads and became the darling of hip New York clubs.

During the interview, Janowitz talked about her celebrity statuswith a certain detachment. She often sounded like a literary versionof pop singer Madonna, a mixture of artistic sensibility andcommercial savvy.

"I hear that people say, `She only got there because of him(Warhol), or because she's pretty,' " Janowitz said. "But I didn'tset out to become a celebrity as much as I did to just write. Yeah,I like to dress up in crazy dresses. I like to do ads. They'll bookme on TV because I can talk on TV. I'll do what I can to sell mybook."

Janowitz was only 23 when her first novel, American Dad, waspublished. She said "years of struggle" preceded the rapid fame shenow enjoys.

She was born in San Francisco, the daughter of an Army officer.She attended many different schools. One high school teacher toldher that she couldn't write.

Janowitz said she missed so much time in school that she wasamazed when Barnard College accepted her as a freshman in 1973. Shechose creative writing as a major because she feared that she mightflunk out in other majors.

She took a job as an assistant art director with a Bostonadvertising agency after graduation, but was laid off "because ofcutbacks in Underwood Deviled Ham, they told me."

The real reason, Janowitz said, may have been her inability todo pasteups and layouts.

She got a master's degree in writing from Hollins College inVirginia, then underwent "months of torture" trying to get her firstnovel published. One publishing house, she said, promised to publishAmerican Dad after extensive revisions. Once they were completed,Janowitz said, an editor phoned her and said the deal had fallenthrough.

"Then I decided I couldn't go through this torture and went outand got an agent," Janowitz said. She got a $10,000 advance for thenovel, but it died in the bookstores. So Janowitz went to the YaleSchool of Drama to learn about writing plays.

She couldn't get anything published for the next five years.

Then Janowitz switched to writing short stories, some of whichwere published in the New Yorker.

"It was like a drug," she said, recalling her acceptance in theNew Yorker in January, 1985. That led to the publication of hershort story collection. "My head was spinning," she said.

Senators: Punish US officials over airline plot

Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman favor punishing government officials whose failures let a would-be bomber board a Detroit-bomber plane on Christmas.

But neither senator is saying he wants any official fired.

Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, points to breakdowns at the State Department and the National Counterterrorism Center. He says people failed to take steps to identify the suspected bomber as a threat and revoke his visa.

McCain, an Arizona Republican, says the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 should be treated like an enemy combatant and not be tried in a civilian court.

The lawmakers appeared on CNN's "State of the Union."

Braving the changes, Plant's future may also determine Ravenswood's

DAILY MAIL STAFF

RAVENSWOOD - In a town where good economic news has been hard tocome by in recent years, word that the aluminum mill that employssome 900 locals could be up for sale again isn't a bombshell.

After a vicious labor dispute 10 years ago, parts of the mill havechanged hands three times. Along the way, there have been plenty ofcutbacks and layoffs as the world aluminum market continues to slide.

"I guess we're kind of numb by now," aluminum worker Wes Swainesaid after a day largely spent in meetings about the implications ofthe possible sale. "You can't panic at everything that happens, oryou'd just be a wreck."

Swaine works for Century Aluminum's Ravenswood plant, which isn'ton the block. But, Century shares the sprawling facility locatedalong the Ohio River with Pechiney Corp., which is now innegotiations to sell out to Canadian aluminum giant Alcan Inc.

This makes almost everyone in Ravenswood something of an expert onfederal anti-trust laws.

The U.S. Department of Justice has decreed that Alcan cannot ownPechiney's operation in Ravenswood, and ordered that if the proposedsale goes through the company would have to divest itself of themill. But since the facility has been bleeding red ink for the lastseveral years, a likely buyer isn't waiting in the wings.

The fear in this Jackson County town is that the next sale won'tmean another hundred jobs cut, but rather the outright closure of thePechiney plant - which might spill over into Century's operation.

"I suppose we could take it if they cut back some more - we'repretty lean as it is, but we could probably tighten our belts again,"Ravenswood resident Dan Palmer said. "But that mill's the only thingthat keeps this town going. If we lose it outright, I don't figurethere'd be any town at all."

Palmer, who works for the city but regrets not getting on at themill 40 years ago so he could be retired by now, has seen Ravenswoodchange as the mill was plunged into uncertainty in the early 1990s.

"The biggest part is what it does to the young people startingout. The ones trying to buy a home and get established used to havesomething to count on," Palmer said. "But now they don't know fromone day to the next if there's going to be work or not. That makeseveryone real careful."

Jason Dennis, a Century Aluminum worker for the last five years,said that he would like to retire from the mill someday, but knowsthat the modern business world is different than it was a generationago.

"You can't worry so much about this stuff," Dennis said. "I've gota good job today, and that's a good thing - and something noteverybody can say. We'll just have to take it as it comes."

Eldon Shingleton retired to Ravenswood after a career as aMethodist minister and opened a bicycle repair shop with his wife,Ruth.

They picked the town because of its historic charm and proximityto their adult children.

"We all hope that things stay the same, but we have to accept thatthat isn't always possible," Shingleton said. "So we just have to tryto make the changes come for the better. I don't know if there can beany good news in this, but we'll have to find a way to make it apositive."

Writer Chris Stirewalt can be reached at 348-4824 or by e-mail atcstire@dailymail.com.

Spain's premier-elect in crisis meet with Zapatero

MADRID (AP) — Spain's incoming and outgoing prime ministers have met secretly on the debt crisis, trying to quickly address the economic crisis walloping Spain and the 17-nation eurozone.

An official from the Popular Party, which won Sunday's general election, said its leader Mariano Rajoy conferred for two hours with acting Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday. The meeting was unannounced. The official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity in line with party policy.

Some meeting had been expected following Sunday's landslide election victory for the conservative Popular Party, which ousted the Socialist government after nearly seven years in power. But it was silently moved up to Wednesday as Spain's rising borrowing costs and other economic woes give no hint of abating.

Rajoy is due to be sworn in as prime minister in mid-December, but Zapatero who will represent Spain at an EU summit on Dec. 9.

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo said the two agreed on a common position for the upcoming EU summit: that Spain must push for the European Central Bank to keep buying Spanish debt and even increase those purchases to push down yields and lower Spain's borrowing costs.

The Popular Party official said she could not confirm this.

Rajoy has not spoken about the debt crisis since his party won, leaving Spaniards and investors wondering how he plans to create jobs to tackle Spain's 21.5 unemployment rate, meet deficit-reduction targets and resurrect an economy that posted no growth in the third quarter.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Rajoy but also urged him to act quickly in undertaking reforms to boost the economy, as have two major credit ratings agencies.

2010 peace bus campaign successful on many counts

During the Mennonite Church Canada assembly in Saskatoon in 2009, the discussion about taking a public stand for peace received a sound workout and the challenge to live out a thousand acts of peace was put to the delegates to consider.

As is the case with some Mennonite churches, it takes times to work new ideas through the ranks, but in the summer of 2010 MC Saskatchewan was preparing to launch a large-scale blitz of bus board signs proclaiming that peace is worth a look.

Stephanie Epp, chair of the MC Saskatchewan Peace and Justice Committee, reports that each of the churches involved was encouraged to contribute whatever it could. More than $4,000 came in, enough to pay for a large ad across one side of five Saskatoon city buses.

The committee found the local transit company easy to work with, but when the ads first appeared last fall Epp noticed something troubling. "There was an installation error on one of the buses," she says, explaining that the committee had been told that its peace ad would be the only one on the side of the bus. However, there was a second ad above it.

The competing ad did not negate the peace message, but it was a distraction. In response, the bus company offered to continue the campaign beyond the originally agreed-upon timeline.

Of the seven churches that pledged support, two were outside the city.

Although considered a rural church, Pleasant Point Mennonite chose to take part in the bus ad campaign for two reasons, says Pastor Harry Harder. "We're part of the greater Saskatoon area," says Harder, who owns a sheep farm a half-hour drive from the city.

And since many members of their congregation regularly do business in the city, the small church decided it was right to sacrifice part of its annual church budget for the city bus ads.

Pauline Steinmann, pastor of Wildwood Mennonite in Saskatoon, noticed renewed curiosity in her congregants as a result of their involvement. "It certainly created some interest in terms of our whole peace stance," she affirms. "We're hearing conversations around the topic of, 'What do we really believe in terms of a public stance?'"

Wildwood also chose to put an ad in its community newsletter to notify the neighbourhood of the church's ownership in the campaign, using the same logo in the ad as the bus boards to create a connecting point.

Nutana Park Mennonite, a larger urban church, also chose to be involved. An email from co-pastor Anita Retzlaff reflects a positive experience through all of it: "The process of discernment for our board of deacons was a valuable exercise to go through as we contemplated this project."

Will MC Saskatchewan run the ads again, perhaps on an annual basis?

"There is no firm decision" says Epp, noting that the ads are in storage, so if it is done again there will be no need to pay for production costs, only the advertising costs.

At any rate, it appears the public was watching, at least by those who take the bus. MC Canada reports that the number of visitors to its liveforpeace.org website, which was printed on the bus ads, rose significantly during the campaign. "There was a 45 percent increase in site activity originating in Saskatoon over the course of the ad campaign," notes Dan Dyck, director of communications.

And it appears that Saskatchewan Mennonites were thinking. "Within the churches, there were more conversations around peace and peace issues. . . . That made it a very successful campaign," says Epp.

[Author Affiliation]

BY KARIN FEHDERAU

Saskatchewan Correspondent

SASKATOON, SASK.

Blue Jays 3, Mariners 1

41Blue Jays 3, Mariners 1
SEATTLE @ TORONTO @
ab r h bi @ab r h bi
ISuzuki cf 3 0 1 0 Rios rf 4 0 0 0
Vidro dh 4 0 0 0 Stairs dh 4 1 1 0
Ibanez lf 4 0 1 0 Rolen 3b 4 0 1 1
Beltre 3b 4 0 0 0 VWells cf 4 1 2 1
JoLpez 2b 4 0 0 0 Ovrbay 1b 3 0 0 0
Reed rf 3 1 1 1 Brajas c 3 0 0 0
Sexson 1b 4 0 1 0 Wlkrsn lf 3 1 2 1
JBurke c 3 0 0 0 Inglett 2b 3 0 1 0
YBncrt ss 3 0 1 0 Eckstin ss 3 0 2 0
McDnld ss 0 0 0 0
Totals @ 32 1 5 1 Totals @31 3 9 3
Seattle 000 010 000_1
Toronto 010 011 00x_3
E_Rolen (2). DP_Seattle 1, Toronto 1. LOB_Seattle 6, Toronto 4. 2B_Ibanez (17), Stairs (6). HR_Reed (2), VWells (7), Wilkerson (3). CS_Wilkerson (5).
IP H R ER BB SO
Seattle @
Silva L,3-7 7 9 3 3 0 3
Morrow 1 0 0 0 0 0
Toronto @
McGowan W,5-4 9 5 1 1 2 7
Umpires_Home, Alfonso Marquez	First, Andy Fletcher	Second, Mike Reilly	Third, Bob Davidson.
T_2:02. A_36,170 (49,539).

When 2 worlds confide...

Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave, by Jennifer Fleischner, Broadway Books; 2003; $26.00

Three months well into 2004, there is but one book that remains in the cache of literary works that debuted the previous year that I find irresistible enough to not only mention, but strongly advise as reading material. Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave is a fascinating and equally unnerving account of two women who built a strong bond of friendship -- an impossible relationship that unearthed a racially divided nation's possibilities. A relationship that was solid enough to endure changing times and tragedy, but too fragile to withstand opinion, rumor and innuendo.

Author Jennifer Fleischner, chair of the English department at Adelphi University and the recipient of a one year Mellon Faculty Fellowship in Afro-American studies at Harvard with her latest book, unravels many longstanding mysteries of interracial relationships--platonic and sexual--during slavery. What's more, Fleischner's revelations provide such infinite details that her writing comes across with an acute accuracy.

It is certain that Fleischner, whose previous work includes Mastering Slavery: Memory, Family, and Identity in Women's Slave Narratives, is determined to let the facts speak for themselves.

"There are two other restorations, which result from my wish to be true to these women's own representations of themselves...[I noticed] that [Elizabeth] spelled [her name] 'Keckly' not 'Keckley' as it appears in her published memoir and in the history books. I also noticed that she signed her first name 'Lizzy' not 'Lizzie,' as Mary Lincoln spelled it... if I was to restore Elizabeth Keckly's 'voice' I must also restore her name, as she knew it..."

Fleischner also gives restoration to what most historians notoriously overlook or fail to mention concerning First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. "I have also done something like this for Mary Lincoln, who dropped the Todd after her marriage and never used it when signing her name. In my book she is referred to as Mary Lincoln."

Historical corrections and revelations abound throughout the book. One of the more shocking revelations (amongst many) is the author's admission of her personal views concerning the two women's camaraderie. "The more deeply I became involved in their lives, the more fascinated I became by the dynamic of their 'friendship'--their term for their relationship. But, I was troubled by a too easy use of the word. What kind of friendship was it, after all, when the Black woman who was paid for her time deferred to the white woman who, for her part, turned to her 'friend' out of a need most triggered whenever she felt betrayed and abandoned by the white world?"

Other than the Prologue, where Fleischner gives readers some insight into her thoughts and feelings on her subject matter, the book is dominated by supported research, documented materials and quotes from the people of whom she writes.

The book delves separately into the genealogies of both women, only for the reader to discover that Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly are related by marriage. Elizabeth Keckly's father (and owner) was Colonel Armistead Burwell, (a Virginian and veteran of the War of 1812) who sired her with a slave, Mammy Aggy (Agnes Hobbs). A cousin of Burwell's married a Todd, a distant relative of Mary Lincoln.

Concerning the women's respective childhood, the book discloses that Mary Todd grew up in a privileged, white Kentucky household that had everything except strong parenting--due to fault and default. Todd's father was emotionally and most times physically absent from his children's lives while he maintained varied professions as a lawyer, entrepreneur and an aspiring political career. Todd's mother died while giving birth to a younger brother. During such upheaval, Todd found solace in the arms of a Black slave (whom her father owned) that became a surrogate mother of sorts to the Todd children. This is true, according to Mrs. Lincoln's memoirs as well as her siblings, even though their father soon remarried, providing his children a stepmother, who ultimately made a "distinction" between the first set of Todd children and the children she made within her marriage to the senior Todd.

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Hobbs astonishingly also grew up with privilege--at least as privileged as a child born into slavery could be. We find that the Burwells allowed their slaves to marry if they wished--a rare and somewhat "kind" gesture. Hobbs, who would later marry a freed-Black slave named James Keckly after buying her own freedom, was in theory the daughter of George Pleasant Hobbs. Burwell, although married with children, still fathered Lizzy out of wedlock with his slave Agnes, whom he had previously sanctioned to marry Hobbs (who belonged to another owner and thusly, lived on another nearby plantation).

Nevertheless, the girl, who was born under dubious circumstances bore her Black father's name and her white father's face. Her "mulatto" features made way for the young girl becoming a "slave in the middle" or a house Negro. Here, the young woman would gain favor with her father, i.e., master and his wife (her mistress). She would learn to read and write (a skill both of her Black parents, although slaves, also possessed) and sew--a trade she instinctively learned from her mother.

It would be her sheer craftsmanship at textiles, patterns and knitting that would afford her the ability to purchase her freedom. Her talent would also enable her to marry the love of her life, start a new life in the North, garner the praise of high-society white women and be sought after by women who aspired to be upper echelon.

Here, fate would intertwine the paths of two young women, roughly a year apart in age, who were on the fast track to success. Mary Lincoln, the wife of Abraham Lincoln, a political outsider who desperately wanted to merge into and dominate Washington's social scene. Lizzy Keckly, an ex-slave, whose profession as a dressmaker made her the nation's top designer for elite and cosmopolitan crowds.

The book speaks so poignantly on the issues, mores and mindsets of sex, marriage and friendship--those that cut across racial lines and those that don't.

While reading this book, one will possibly be amazed to find that society's attitude on these matters, despite many changes over a few hundred years, have hardly changed. This book will provide many answers for those who have ever pondered or questioned the dynamics of interracial relationships.

Article copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

2001 UFE results

PRESIDENT'S NOTES

As profiled in our December issue, six of the top twenty 2001 UFE writers in Canada were BC students. Once again, I'd like to extend my congratulations to our top twenty finalists and to all those who recently passed the UFE. To those who didn't pass, take heart-it will be your turn next time.

With regard to students, and continuing my discussion of the Council "ends," my article this month looks at the end, "Providing Enough Well-trained Students."

Providing Enough Well-Trained Students

On the President's Tour, we outlined what we believe to be the three key elements necessary to achieve this end: an appropriate education system, attracting and recruiting the right people, and a sufficient number of training places. The Institute has been very active in all three of these areas.

Education: National consensus has been reached over what components constitute the core competencies of CAs, and over the level of knowledge expected of newly qualified CAs. This level of knowledge will be reflected in the new Uniform Evaluation. In 2002, a transitional open book approach is planned, with the tax act and handbook being made available to students. There will be no single-subject or multiple choice questions; however, the evaluation will be syllabus-based and point marked. (For 2003, the evaluation will be fully competency-based and open book.)

The CA School of Business (CASB)-the western education delivery system-has created an innovative education program. There is a commitment to ensuring module delivery to meet the needs of both training offices and students. Comments from both students and firms on the style of learning and the applicability of skills have been positive. By 2002, CASB is expected to have 2500 students, and its first graduates will be writing the 2002 UE.

Attractiveness: In order to attract the right students and promote the attractiveness of the CA profession, the Institute has been working very closely with firms in the Lower Mainland and Victoria, recruiting on campuses and sponsoring newspaper supplements that profile the profession and its members. We recognize that the same effort needs to be extended throughout other areas of the province. For instance, University Colleges are seen as an excellent source of potential students for regional firms. CEO Richard Rees, FCA, and I visited as many of these institutions as we could on the Tour and were warmly received. It's now up to us as an Institute, in partnership with local members, to attract these students to our profession.

Sufficient Training Places: In 1990, the number of students in BC was 913. In 2001, there were 1,037 students, representing a growth of just over 10% in a decade. That rate of growth is similar in the rest of Western Canada, whereas the number of students in Ontario and Quebec has dropped substantially. At the same time, the demand for well-trained accountants and financial advisors has grown exponentially.

The Institute's records show that approximately 45% of the approved training positions remain unfilled, so there may be room to grow our profession in BC. What's stopping our firms from hiring students? Is it the cost of training, a lack of sufficient audit work to satisfy students, or too few of the right students? A Task Force headed by Second VP, John Cowperthwaite, CA, is asking these questions and seeking your input. Send your comments to John at taskforce@ica.bc.ca.

On a broader note, if we don't meet the market demand for accountants, who will? If other designations rise to meet the need, will that threaten our pre-eminence as a profession? Close to 70% of CAs are no longer in public practice; is it reasonable to expect practising offices to train enough CAs to be able to meet not only their own needs, but also the needs of industry and government? Is training outside of public practice an option? We developed a vision of our profession that included having CAs in top positions in all industries and sectors. Is that vision even realistic if we don't attract and train enough CA students? Can our profession survive if we don't make changes now?

What do you think? There are a lot of tough questions our profession needs to address, and we need your input Email your thoughts to me at president@ica.bc.ca.

[Sidebar]

Council's Ends:

* Upholding the Integrity of the CA Profession.

* Providing Enough Well-Trained Students.

* Supporting Members in Their Quest to be Business Advisiors and Assurance Providers fo Choice.

* Ensuring that Buyers of our Services Recognize the Skills and Services of CAs.

[Sidebar]

The Vision CA

We will be leaders in creating, validating,a nd interpreting information that measures and enhances organization performance, and be the obvious choice for financial management, assurance, and other specialized services.

Grown daughter to wed, but father won't let go

Dear Diane: My father and I always had a very specialrelationship.

I'm 25 now and engaged to a man who is 30. My father hates himwith a passion. He only met "Jerry" a couple of times, and each timehe only pretended to like him.

I tried to get the three of us to talk. Jerry was more thanwilling. I phoned first, but when we got to my father's, hepretended not to be home.

About three months later, my father met someone. She moved in,and now he's talking marriage. This young lady is four monthsyounger than I am. I told my father she wasn't the one he shouldspend the rest of his life with.

Since she's been with my father, things have really changed. Ibought him a card and a bottle of Champagne for his birthday lastmonth, and took him (and her) to breakfast. On my birthday a weeklater, he sent me a sympathy card saying, "God be with you for aslong as you are with Jerry." Now we aren't speaking.

I love my dad very, very much. I also love my fiance. But itseems that Daddy wants me to make a choice, which I refuse to do. DADDY'S (HURT) LITTLE GIRL

Dear D. H. L. G.: So Dad wasn't quite ready to give you up toanother man. Like a jealous lover, he got his revenge by findinghimself a fiancee - and one who is remarkably close to you in age, toboot. You got revenge by parroting his criticism of Jerry when youtalked about "her."

The healthiest ending to this story, presuming you love Jerryand he is good for you, will be at least one wedding (you and Jerry)if not two (dad and "her"). It's time for Daddy's little girl to beall grown up.

Dear Diane: My parents are separated, and when my dad isn'taround, my mom says bad things about him. But when he's around, shetreats him like pie.

What should I do? WORRIED

Dear Worried: Your mom has mixed feelings. Sometimes she feelsvery angry at your dad, and other times she feels friendly.Sometimes she feels both at the same time, and that's as confusing toher as it is to you.

If you can, just listen. You don't have to agree with any ofthe bad things she says.

But if your mom's not too good at listening to what is botheringyou because she's upset about the separation, find another caringadult who will listen. Perhaps a teacher or a relative can help youunderstand your own mixed feelings about the separation - and yourmom's, too.

Dear Diane: I'm writing about the woman who dreamed that twofriends were killed in a plane crash. Your advice was not to tellthem about the dream until after their trip.

I had a dream, too. I dreamed I saw my husband laid out in acoffin. I didn't pay attention because I always heard if you dreamabout one person, your dream really is about someone else.

At the same time, I visited a psychic. In her reading, shesaid: "I don't see a husband." I wish she had been more specific,for I would have taken out some insurance (he had none).

He was killed in a car accident six months after I had my dream. MRS. M.

Dear Mrs. M.: Freud and others have filled volumes with theoriesabout the interpretation of dreams. You believe your dream was apremonition.

But if so, aren't there other things you'd also have donebesides taking out insurance? My sympathies to your husband.

Send your questions to Diane Crowley, Box 3254, Chicago 60654.

Young Age Helps Pup Recover From Walking Problem

Q. I bought my German Shepherd pup when he was 9 weeks old.His right leg seemed a little shorter and weaker than his left. Twoveterinarians said he had a spine and hip problem. I cut a patternfrom cardboard of his good leg and taped it to the right leg. Thishelped him stand and walk a bit. After two weeks, I removed thebrace and now he is 4 months old and is walking and running. Whatwas his trouble?

A. I can only guess there was a dislocation or fracture of theright hip joint. Because the dog was very young it healed rapidly.If an X-ray wasn't taken, I would recommend one. It would show ahealed fracture or dislocation or both.

Q. I have a 9 year old female cat that defecates outside herpan. I had a flea problem a few months ago and had to bathe thecats and fog the apartment. The problem with her defecation startedsoon after.

A. Some cats associate an unpleasant experience with the litterpan and tend to avoid it. Perhaps a negative association formed atthe time of de-fleaing. It's important to determine the reason forthe behavior change.

One possible reason is painful defecation, which can be causedby hard stools after a change in diet. If you changed the diet, goback to the old diet. Also, if possible, use a larger pan and moveit to a new location.

Q. I have a friend who is beside herself because she thinks shecaused her dog's death. It was a large dog, and she gave him anaspirin a couple of times at the most within a week's time. Afterthat week, he died at the veterinarian's office. The doctor saidhis insides were falling apart and there were holes in his intestineand stomach. Would so little aspirin in such a short time have donethat to him?

A. A regular 5 grain aspirin given once a day to a large dog -for example, to relieve pain from rheumatism - may redden the stomachlining at first but would clear up with with repeated daily doses.With an irritated stomach, the dog may throw up, but I wouldn'texpect any serious problem. (This does not apply to cats, for whichaspirin can be fatal.) I believe the dog was probably given theaspirin because it was ill and death was due to that illness, not theaspirin. You can safely tell your friend the death of her pet wasnot her fault.

Send questions for veterinarian Sanford Blum to the ChicagoSun-Times, 401 N. Wabash, Chicago 60611. Emergencies should behandled by your veterinarian.

Q&A: SUPPLEMENT SLEUTH

Q: I'm a senior, and I need help selecting a good multivitamin. Is it necessary to buy a brand specifically for seniors?

Senior vitamin formulas are not always the best choice. Many contain only RDI amounts of vitamins and minerals, or even less.

Seniors, especially women, suffer from bone loss, causing osteoporosis and fractures. Most multis don't deliver enough calcium. Shoot for 250-500 mg in a multivitamin, and supplement that.

Magnesium for a healthy heart and other metabolic functions should weigh in at 200-400 mg.

Protect cellular health with vitamins A (5,000 IU) and natural E (400 IU), lutein (1-5 mg), and lycopene (1-5 mg). Vitamin C for antioxidant protection, a strong immune system, and a healthy heart should be at least 250 mg. Look for at least 100 percent RDI of selenium, a cancer-preventing antioxidant.

Take little iron (under 9 mg). Take no supplemental iron if you are postmenopausal or have heart disease.

Get at least 100 percent RDI (120 mcg) of chromium for proper blood sugar and insulin function.

B-complex vitamins in amounts above the RDIs are needed for healthy metabolism, neurological function, and cardiovascular health. Take at least 400 mcg of folate to maintain DNA integrity.

Coenzyme Q10 is a must-have if you take a statin drug for cholesterol management. Statins deplete CoQ10 from the body.

[Author Affiliation]

By Gary Bushkin, PhD, CNC

[Author Affiliation]

Gary Bushkin, PhD, CNC, a consultant for the natural products industry, specializes in the development of supplements and functional and natural foods. His books include FAQs: All About Green Food Supplements. Do you have a supplement question? E-mail it to editorial@betternutrition.com.

Linux Keeps on Rolling ; Vendors pushing new products despite SCO controversy.

As the Linux and open-source faithful flock to San Francisco for the annual LinuxWorld conference this week, the legal brouhaha between IBM and The SCO Group does not appear to be having any effect on customer willingness to implement the operating system or vendors' ability to deliver for the enterprise.

Linux experts say the show will all but ignore the SCO controversy and instead focus on the growing mission- critical position of Linux. Hewlett-Packard Co., Red Hat Inc. and SuSE Linux AG are just a few of the companies planning Linux announcements at the show.

Many customers have so far also shrugged off the SCO threats and are moving forward with Linux projects.

Travel Web site Orbitz LLC, of Chicago, runs more than 750 Linux machines in its production environments and continues to roll more out every month. A company spokeswoman told eWEEK that SCO's litigation is having no effect on Orbitz's decision to move forward with Linux plans.

Major vendors also continue to roll out new Linux-based products and services, including HP, which this week will announce the new LC (Linux Compute) cluster. It will provide a turnkey cluster ranging from 16 to 128 nodes and offer users a choice of different interconnects and management software as well as different versions of Red Hat software, said HP officials, in Cupertino, Calif.

The LC Series is an out-of-the-box solution, using ProLiant DL380 and DL360 servers running Linux, including racks, software and interconnects for the entry-level-to-midrange Linux computational market, said Mike Balma, HP's Linux business strategist.

The starting price for a 16-node, entry-level LC cluster with Fast Ethernet is $75,000, while a 128-node, high-performance LC cluster will start at about $713,000, which includes integration, installation, testing and shipping, Balma said.

On the management side, HP is rolling out the ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack for Linux, which will automate the process of deploying and redeploying server software on its ProLiant servers. In addition, HP's ServiceGuard management software will now support Red Hat Enterprise Server and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8. They are certified for up to 16 nodes. The software includes MySQL and Oracle Corp. tool kits for rapid integration and increased HP ProLiant and StorageWorks portfolio coverage.

Support is also planned for 64-bit HP Integrity servers late this year. Another offering, HP OpenView GlancePlus for Linux, is software that helps monitor performance in Linux systems so customers can fine-tune the performance of a system.

In addition, HP and BEA Systems Inc. will announce next week that they have expanded their alliance to deliver comprehensive enterprise Linux solutions. "We will have a blueprint for those customers who want to deploy, say, a Web application server environment with HP and BEA and how we have integrated the offering and pretested it," Balma said.

IBM last week announced a new server, a DB2 Linux integrated clustering environment, extended Linux support for its Lotus Software division's client and server software, as well as several key Tivoli offerings (see story, Page 24).

"We are moving full steam ahead with Linux, which will be evident at LinuxWorld as we roll out evidence of [Linux's] continuing momentum and proof points of maturity in mission-critical applications. This is real stuff, and customers are doing real things with Linux," said Scott Handy, director of Linux software solutions for IBM, in Somers, N.Y.

Red Hat next week will discuss a new strategy to enable Web applications development. T0he Raleigh, N.C., company is working with open-source organizations and developing offerings aimed at deploying and developing open-source applications, spokeswoman Leigh Day said.

SuSE will also use the show to promote its deal with Sun Microsystems Inc. under which its SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 will be preinstalled on Sun's x86 Intel Corp.-based commodity server line, said Holger Dyroff, who heads SuSE's North American operations in Oakland, Calif. That deal follows a similar one between Sun and Red Hat.

SuSE also becomes a Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition source licensee and will distribute Sun's Java Virtual Machine with all its Linux products. "This is the first step in our relationship with SuSE," Ann Wettersten, a Sun systems software vice president, told eWEEK, adding that software for the server will be available this fall.

Linux Keeps on Rolling ; Vendors pushing new products despite SCO controversy.

As the Linux and open-source faithful flock to San Francisco for the annual LinuxWorld conference this week, the legal brouhaha between IBM and The SCO Group does not appear to be having any effect on customer willingness to implement the operating system or vendors' ability to deliver for the enterprise.

Linux experts say the show will all but ignore the SCO controversy and instead focus on the growing mission- critical position of Linux. Hewlett-Packard Co., Red Hat Inc. and SuSE Linux AG are just a few of the companies planning Linux announcements at the show.

Many customers have so far also shrugged off the SCO threats and are moving forward with Linux projects.

Travel Web site Orbitz LLC, of Chicago, runs more than 750 Linux machines in its production environments and continues to roll more out every month. A company spokeswoman told eWEEK that SCO's litigation is having no effect on Orbitz's decision to move forward with Linux plans.

Major vendors also continue to roll out new Linux-based products and services, including HP, which this week will announce the new LC (Linux Compute) cluster. It will provide a turnkey cluster ranging from 16 to 128 nodes and offer users a choice of different interconnects and management software as well as different versions of Red Hat software, said HP officials, in Cupertino, Calif.

The LC Series is an out-of-the-box solution, using ProLiant DL380 and DL360 servers running Linux, including racks, software and interconnects for the entry-level-to-midrange Linux computational market, said Mike Balma, HP's Linux business strategist.

The starting price for a 16-node, entry-level LC cluster with Fast Ethernet is $75,000, while a 128-node, high-performance LC cluster will start at about $713,000, which includes integration, installation, testing and shipping, Balma said.

On the management side, HP is rolling out the ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack for Linux, which will automate the process of deploying and redeploying server software on its ProLiant servers. In addition, HP's ServiceGuard management software will now support Red Hat Enterprise Server and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8. They are certified for up to 16 nodes. The software includes MySQL and Oracle Corp. tool kits for rapid integration and increased HP ProLiant and StorageWorks portfolio coverage.

Support is also planned for 64-bit HP Integrity servers late this year. Another offering, HP OpenView GlancePlus for Linux, is software that helps monitor performance in Linux systems so customers can fine-tune the performance of a system.

In addition, HP and BEA Systems Inc. will announce next week that they have expanded their alliance to deliver comprehensive enterprise Linux solutions. "We will have a blueprint for those customers who want to deploy, say, a Web application server environment with HP and BEA and how we have integrated the offering and pretested it," Balma said.

IBM last week announced a new server, a DB2 Linux integrated clustering environment, extended Linux support for its Lotus Software division's client and server software, as well as several key Tivoli offerings (see story, Page 24).

"We are moving full steam ahead with Linux, which will be evident at LinuxWorld as we roll out evidence of [Linux's] continuing momentum and proof points of maturity in mission-critical applications. This is real stuff, and customers are doing real things with Linux," said Scott Handy, director of Linux software solutions for IBM, in Somers, N.Y.

Red Hat next week will discuss a new strategy to enable Web applications development. T0he Raleigh, N.C., company is working with open-source organizations and developing offerings aimed at deploying and developing open-source applications, spokeswoman Leigh Day said.

SuSE will also use the show to promote its deal with Sun Microsystems Inc. under which its SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 will be preinstalled on Sun's x86 Intel Corp.-based commodity server line, said Holger Dyroff, who heads SuSE's North American operations in Oakland, Calif. That deal follows a similar one between Sun and Red Hat.

SuSE also becomes a Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition source licensee and will distribute Sun's Java Virtual Machine with all its Linux products. "This is the first step in our relationship with SuSE," Ann Wettersten, a Sun systems software vice president, told eWEEK, adding that software for the server will be available this fall.

Linux Keeps on Rolling ; Vendors pushing new products despite SCO controversy.

As the Linux and open-source faithful flock to San Francisco for the annual LinuxWorld conference this week, the legal brouhaha between IBM and The SCO Group does not appear to be having any effect on customer willingness to implement the operating system or vendors' ability to deliver for the enterprise.

Linux experts say the show will all but ignore the SCO controversy and instead focus on the growing mission- critical position of Linux. Hewlett-Packard Co., Red Hat Inc. and SuSE Linux AG are just a few of the companies planning Linux announcements at the show.

Many customers have so far also shrugged off the SCO threats and are moving forward with Linux projects.

Travel Web site Orbitz LLC, of Chicago, runs more than 750 Linux machines in its production environments and continues to roll more out every month. A company spokeswoman told eWEEK that SCO's litigation is having no effect on Orbitz's decision to move forward with Linux plans.

Major vendors also continue to roll out new Linux-based products and services, including HP, which this week will announce the new LC (Linux Compute) cluster. It will provide a turnkey cluster ranging from 16 to 128 nodes and offer users a choice of different interconnects and management software as well as different versions of Red Hat software, said HP officials, in Cupertino, Calif.

The LC Series is an out-of-the-box solution, using ProLiant DL380 and DL360 servers running Linux, including racks, software and interconnects for the entry-level-to-midrange Linux computational market, said Mike Balma, HP's Linux business strategist.

The starting price for a 16-node, entry-level LC cluster with Fast Ethernet is $75,000, while a 128-node, high-performance LC cluster will start at about $713,000, which includes integration, installation, testing and shipping, Balma said.

On the management side, HP is rolling out the ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack for Linux, which will automate the process of deploying and redeploying server software on its ProLiant servers. In addition, HP's ServiceGuard management software will now support Red Hat Enterprise Server and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8. They are certified for up to 16 nodes. The software includes MySQL and Oracle Corp. tool kits for rapid integration and increased HP ProLiant and StorageWorks portfolio coverage.

Support is also planned for 64-bit HP Integrity servers late this year. Another offering, HP OpenView GlancePlus for Linux, is software that helps monitor performance in Linux systems so customers can fine-tune the performance of a system.

In addition, HP and BEA Systems Inc. will announce next week that they have expanded their alliance to deliver comprehensive enterprise Linux solutions. "We will have a blueprint for those customers who want to deploy, say, a Web application server environment with HP and BEA and how we have integrated the offering and pretested it," Balma said.

IBM last week announced a new server, a DB2 Linux integrated clustering environment, extended Linux support for its Lotus Software division's client and server software, as well as several key Tivoli offerings (see story, Page 24).

"We are moving full steam ahead with Linux, which will be evident at LinuxWorld as we roll out evidence of [Linux's] continuing momentum and proof points of maturity in mission-critical applications. This is real stuff, and customers are doing real things with Linux," said Scott Handy, director of Linux software solutions for IBM, in Somers, N.Y.

Red Hat next week will discuss a new strategy to enable Web applications development. T0he Raleigh, N.C., company is working with open-source organizations and developing offerings aimed at deploying and developing open-source applications, spokeswoman Leigh Day said.

SuSE will also use the show to promote its deal with Sun Microsystems Inc. under which its SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 will be preinstalled on Sun's x86 Intel Corp.-based commodity server line, said Holger Dyroff, who heads SuSE's North American operations in Oakland, Calif. That deal follows a similar one between Sun and Red Hat.

SuSE also becomes a Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition source licensee and will distribute Sun's Java Virtual Machine with all its Linux products. "This is the first step in our relationship with SuSE," Ann Wettersten, a Sun systems software vice president, told eWEEK, adding that software for the server will be available this fall.

Linux Keeps on Rolling ; Vendors pushing new products despite SCO controversy.

As the Linux and open-source faithful flock to San Francisco for the annual LinuxWorld conference this week, the legal brouhaha between IBM and The SCO Group does not appear to be having any effect on customer willingness to implement the operating system or vendors' ability to deliver for the enterprise.

Linux experts say the show will all but ignore the SCO controversy and instead focus on the growing mission- critical position of Linux. Hewlett-Packard Co., Red Hat Inc. and SuSE Linux AG are just a few of the companies planning Linux announcements at the show.

Many customers have so far also shrugged off the SCO threats and are moving forward with Linux projects.

Travel Web site Orbitz LLC, of Chicago, runs more than 750 Linux machines in its production environments and continues to roll more out every month. A company spokeswoman told eWEEK that SCO's litigation is having no effect on Orbitz's decision to move forward with Linux plans.

Major vendors also continue to roll out new Linux-based products and services, including HP, which this week will announce the new LC (Linux Compute) cluster. It will provide a turnkey cluster ranging from 16 to 128 nodes and offer users a choice of different interconnects and management software as well as different versions of Red Hat software, said HP officials, in Cupertino, Calif.

The LC Series is an out-of-the-box solution, using ProLiant DL380 and DL360 servers running Linux, including racks, software and interconnects for the entry-level-to-midrange Linux computational market, said Mike Balma, HP's Linux business strategist.

The starting price for a 16-node, entry-level LC cluster with Fast Ethernet is $75,000, while a 128-node, high-performance LC cluster will start at about $713,000, which includes integration, installation, testing and shipping, Balma said.

On the management side, HP is rolling out the ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack for Linux, which will automate the process of deploying and redeploying server software on its ProLiant servers. In addition, HP's ServiceGuard management software will now support Red Hat Enterprise Server and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8. They are certified for up to 16 nodes. The software includes MySQL and Oracle Corp. tool kits for rapid integration and increased HP ProLiant and StorageWorks portfolio coverage.

Support is also planned for 64-bit HP Integrity servers late this year. Another offering, HP OpenView GlancePlus for Linux, is software that helps monitor performance in Linux systems so customers can fine-tune the performance of a system.

In addition, HP and BEA Systems Inc. will announce next week that they have expanded their alliance to deliver comprehensive enterprise Linux solutions. "We will have a blueprint for those customers who want to deploy, say, a Web application server environment with HP and BEA and how we have integrated the offering and pretested it," Balma said.

IBM last week announced a new server, a DB2 Linux integrated clustering environment, extended Linux support for its Lotus Software division's client and server software, as well as several key Tivoli offerings (see story, Page 24).

"We are moving full steam ahead with Linux, which will be evident at LinuxWorld as we roll out evidence of [Linux's] continuing momentum and proof points of maturity in mission-critical applications. This is real stuff, and customers are doing real things with Linux," said Scott Handy, director of Linux software solutions for IBM, in Somers, N.Y.

Red Hat next week will discuss a new strategy to enable Web applications development. T0he Raleigh, N.C., company is working with open-source organizations and developing offerings aimed at deploying and developing open-source applications, spokeswoman Leigh Day said.

SuSE will also use the show to promote its deal with Sun Microsystems Inc. under which its SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 will be preinstalled on Sun's x86 Intel Corp.-based commodity server line, said Holger Dyroff, who heads SuSE's North American operations in Oakland, Calif. That deal follows a similar one between Sun and Red Hat.

SuSE also becomes a Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition source licensee and will distribute Sun's Java Virtual Machine with all its Linux products. "This is the first step in our relationship with SuSE," Ann Wettersten, a Sun systems software vice president, told eWEEK, adding that software for the server will be available this fall.