Just for mesothelioma

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Cause Big Losses for Property and Casualty Insurers

2017-01-04T09:24:00.002-08:00

Oldwick, NJ - U.S. property and casualty insurers continue to suffer financially as a result of increasing asbestos losses—and there’s no predicted end to the rise. The grand total has amassed to $100 billion, up $15 billion from the previous estimate.

“The continued evolution of asbestos medical effectiveness through improved therapies, emerging drug combinations, and early diagnosis, combined with ever-evolving litigation strategies, continues to make it difficult to put finality on the ultimate costs associated with asbestos liabilities,” said an A.M. Best report.

The payouts are going to individuals who were exposed to asbestos. For many, they now have or are at risk to develop mesothelioma cancer. The most common types of asbestos exposure are military, commercial, industrial, second hand, and talc.

Mesothelioma requires drugs that can cost more than $120,000 per individual annually. The median gross income for American households is $52,000, yet many insurance companies expect families to contribute up to 30% of the total cost of cancer treatment.

The treatments are so costly because cancer is a life-threatening disease that compels patients and caretakers to act immediately. Plus, the imminent mortality (anywhere from years to months) prompts people to use the best medicine and procedures to cure the disease.

Many people also prefer brand name versus generic drugs, believing that there is a zero-sum choice between life and death with money no longer being a factor. Furthermore, rescue drugs and secondary procedures like stem cell or bone marrow transplants are often necessary to offset the negative effects of certain treatments.

Many of these cancer drugs don’t have alternatives and it’s costly for the pharmaceutical companies to make them in the first place. Getting them from other countries for cheaper is out of the question as federal regulations prohibit it.

A.M. Best thinks ultimate property and casualty insurance industry losses could reach $142 billion for asbestos and environmental (A&E). Since 2006, the industry has paid out more losses ($16.7 billion) than it has incurred ($13.5 billion).

“The P/C industry continues to incur approximately $2.1 billion in losses per year while paying out nearly $2.5 billion,” said A.M. Best.

The annual incurred A&E losses have increased and decreased in past years. For example, up 10% in 2015 and down 20% in 2014. But in 2015, asbestos losses went up 3.6% and environmental losses had a large jump up 33%.

According to A.M. Best, “With no way of knowing where the end is, and given the total funding for the industries’ asbestos losses has now reached nearly $85 billion, it is clear that the asbestos issue will continue for years to come.”

Travelers ($824 million), Chubb/INA ($311 million), and Liberty Mutual ($280 million) are the top loss payout companies. A.M. Best believes A&E reserves will be depleted within seven to eight years if no additional reserve strengthening takes place.

Source : https://www.mesothelioma.com/news/2016/12/asbestos-and-mesothelioma-cause-big-losses-for-property-and-casualty-insurers.htm

Radon Gas and Lung Cancer

2012-03-15T01:21:00.000-07:00

By Stacy Simon

When it comes to reducing your cancer risk, one important step could be right under your nose, or below your feet. Getting your home tested for radon can help protect you and your family from a key cause of lung cancer.
Exposure to radon accounts for about 20,000 deaths from lung cancer each year according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While that is nowhere near the 443,000 deaths a year caused by smoking, it’s still significant. And it’s the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

What is radon?

RADON HOTLINES:

1-800-SOS-RADON Purchase radon test kits
1-800-55RADON Live help for your radon questions
1-800-644-6999 Info about reducing radon in your home
1-800-426-4791 Info about radon and water

Radon is a gas that occurs naturally outdoors in harmless amounts. It’s produced from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. It sometimes becomes concentrated in homes built on soil with natural uranium deposits. It can enter buildings through cracks in floors or walls, construction joints, or gaps in foundations around pipes, wires or pumps. Radon levels are usually highest in the basement or crawl space.
When radon gas is breathed in, it enters the lungs, exposing them to small amounts of radiation. This may damage the cells in the lining of the lungs and increase a person's risk of lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer is higher in those who have lived for many years in a radon-contaminated house.
The lung cancer risk from radon is much lower than that from smoking. However, the risk from radon is much higher in people who smoke than in those who don't. Exposure to the combination of radon gas and cigarette smoke creates a greater risk for lung cancer than either factor alone.

Testing for radon

Because radon gas can’t be seen or smelled, the only way to know whether it’s a problem in your home is to test for it. A Citizen’s Guide to Radon, produced by the EPA, explains how to test your home for radon easily and inexpensively, and what to do if your levels are too high.
You can hire a professional tester, or do it yourself with a kit you buy at a hardware store. Follow the instructions for leaving the kit in your house for the required number of days. Then mail it to a lab and wait for the results.
If you find out that your radon levels are high, you can take steps to lower the amount of radon in your home. The most common method is to install a vent pipe system and fan, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside.
It is also possible for radon to enter your home through your water supply, though this is a much lower risk than radon entering your home through the soil. If you have a private well, you can have it tested for radon. If the levels are high, you can have the water supply treated so that the radon is removed before it enters your home. If you are concerned about radon and your water comes from a public water supply, you should contact your supplier.
As with most home repairs, the cost of reducing radon in your home can vary widely, depending on how your home is built (whether you have a basement, crawlspace, or neither) and what kind of system you need.

If you think you’ve been exposed

There are no widely available medical tests to measure whether you have been exposed to radon. But if you think that you have, talk with your doctor about whether you should get regular health checkups and tests to look for possible signs of lung cancer. Possible symptoms include shortness of breath, a new or worsening cough, pain or tightness in the chest, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing.
If you smoke and you know you’ve been exposed to high levels of radon, it’s very important to quit smoking. The combination of cigarette smoking and radon exposure raises the risk of lung cancer more than either smoking or radon exposure alone.
For some people exposed to radon through their jobs, like uranium miners, millers and transporters, the US government has established the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program. It offers compensation for lung cancer and some other lung diseases to people who qualify.

http://www.cancer.org

Facing Breast Cancer: Couple Says, 'Miracles Do Happen'

2011-10-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Article date: October 19, 2011
The Gospodinoff Family

"When we embrace uncertainty, it can be very liberating. If you can accept the uncertainty, it allows you to live life every day."

Ana Gospodinoff calls her husband, Victor, her hero and the best caregiver she could ever have. Victor calls her a living miracle. Together, they are telling Ana’s cancer story to as many people as they can, to inspire others to fight back and never lose hope.
‘Tell me what I have to do’

The day after Thanksgiving 2008, Ana woke up in her home in Miami with a terrible headache and vomiting. She quickly became so weak that Victor didn’t think he could get her to the hospital on his own. He called 911.

Until then, Ana had rarely ever been sick. She was 39 years old, healthy and active – she’d played tennis with friends a few days earlier. She ate a healthy diet and kept busy taking care of the couple’s 3 children ages 3, 7 and 9.

Doctors suspected meningitis, an infection of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can be fatal, and Ana and Victor were worried. But scans found something much, much worse. Ana had 2 tumors in her brain, one in the front and one in the back, and the doctors were pretty sure more tests would confirm it was cancer.

When he heard that, Victor says his knees began to buckle. But Ana stayed calm.

She told the doctor, “You don’t know what I have yet, so you don’t know what I have to do to get better. Once you know, just tell me what I have to do to get better, because I’m too good a mother to stop being a mom.”
Focusing on 3%

The next 2 days were a blur of testing. Ana was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer. Her primary tumor was in her right breast, and it had spread to the brain, causing the 2 tumors there. She also had spots of cancer in her left lung, left kidney, liver, and the base of her spine.

Ana underwent surgery to remove one of the tumors from her brain. The surgery went well, but a few days later she had a stroke. Victor says every day he prayed for a neutral day, a day in which he wouldn’t receive more bad news. A doctor suggested the couple consider treating Ana for pain only; he didn’t think she could survive. Another doctor gave Ana a 3% chance to make it through the year. Victor decided to focus all his energy on that 3%.

Ana began 3 types of cancer treatment simultaneously. They included chemotherapy administered through the blood stream, as well as chemotherapy into the fluid around her brain and spinal cord. She also had radiation to the brain. Patients don’t usually receive all these treatments at the same time, but Ana didn’t have time for separate treatments because the cancer was attacking her in so many places at once.

During the next 8 months, Ana, who is 5-foot-7, dropped to a weight of 74 pounds. She was completely bedridden and seldom alert. Victor divided his time between the hospital and home. Friends and relatives helped out with the children.

Even though Ana’s outcome was uncertain, Victor remained positive. He says he promised himself that no matter what happened, he’d be able to one day tell his children that he did everything he could for their mother.

“No matter how painful it would be to lose Ana, I can honestly say I did everything I could,” he said.

Gradually, Ana became more alert. She put on weight. By June 2009, she was able to stand. By August, she was officially in remission, which means her cancer had shrunk in response to the treatment and was under control, but she still needed to be tested periodically in case it returned.
An inspiration

Ana says faith is very important, whatever you believe in. “I consider myself a miracle. God gave me a chance for a reason and that’s trying to give hope to others and that’s what I try to do.”

While she was recovering she began receiving cards, letters and emails of support from friends and friends of friends all over the world. She and Victor encouraged visitors, and people began stopping by the hospital to say hello, pray, and give her small gifts – everything from a tin of cookies to sand from a holy site in Israel. The Gospodinoffs spoke at an annual meeting of the American Cancer Society’s Florida division and gave an interview to a local TV station. They created their own Web site to help keep supporters informed of Ana’s progress and to provide inspiration and hope to other people facing cancer.

Ana and Victor have also remained active in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay For Life event. They began volunteering in 2004 after Victor’s father recovered from cancer. Now his mother is also a survivor.

Many people facing a cancer diagnosis or a treatment decision have turned to the Gospodinoffs for inspiration, help and support.

“My wife and I always say ‘yes,’ says Victor. “You call us; we always say ‘yes.’

“When you see somebody’s eyes and you can see they’re hopeless and they’re down, you speak with them for a while and you can see the charm in their eyes come back. You feel that you’ve helped them find hope that you’re willing to fight.”
Embracing uncertainty

In the summer of 2011, Ana underwent additional surgery when neurosurgeons removed 2 inches of brain tissue from her front temple lobe. The surgery resulted from Ana’s regular MRI. The scan found something suspicious and she had to decide whether to have the surgery, or watch and wait. She decided to have the surgery, and a biopsy later confirmed a small tumor.

Today Ana amazes doctors, nurses, family and friends with her recovery. She has some balance and coordination issues, but she can walk. Her mind is sharp, and she can carry on a normal conversation. She is blind in one eye, but she’s alive.

Victor says, “When we embrace uncertainty, it can be very liberating. If you can accept the uncertainty, it allows you to live life every day. Just because Ana has cancer doesn’t mean she’s going to die from it. When you really accept it full spectrum it makes life a lot easier. Cancer is just one additional factor in the whole equation. It’s just a challenge.”

“We try to inspire hope in other people,” says Ana. “You can’t make somebody want to fight. I can tell them my story and tell them I was dead; yet I’m standing here.”

source:
www.cancer.org/Treatment

Women Don’t Get the Help They Want for Sexual Problems After Cancer Treatment

2011-10-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Many women with breast or gynecological cancer want medical help for sexual problems after their treatment but aren’t getting it, researchers say.

A big reason for this is that women tend to be embarrassed about talking to their doctors about their sexual issues. Most of the time they aren’t asking their doctors for help, even though they want it.

A survey of more than 200 cancer survivors, published in the American Cancer Society journal Cancer, shows just how big the problem is. About 42% of women surveyed at a University of Chicago cancer clinic said they wanted medical care for sexual concerns, but only 7% had asked for the help. Previous studies show women really want the doctor to be the one to bring up the topic.

That doesn’t always happen, according to the study authors. Senior author of the study, Dr. Stacy Tessler Lindau, says, “Physicians will often empathize with a patient’s concerns, but struggle with a lack of knowledge about how to help.”

This is true for gynecological cancers as well as breast cancers. Sixty-two percent of vaginal and cervical cancer survivors report that no doctor ever started a conversation with them about the sexual effects of their cancer or their treatment.

This is different from the way men very often learn about sexual side effects when they are treated for prostate cancer. Many doctors discuss sexual issues with men before, during and after treatment for prostate cancer. And the possibility of sexual side effects is often part of the process in deciding how to treat the cancer in the first place.

Sexual concerns of women after treatment for breast cancer and gynecological cancers range from physical problems like pain and dryness, to psychological problems that come from changes in body appearance. Cancer survivors often struggle with body-image concerns, and don’t feel attractive or feminine after treatment. These problems can strain relationships, cause worry and stress, and make many women feel ashamed, guilty or alone.

It is understandable that you may be embarrassed to talk to your doctor about any sexual problems you have after cancer treatments. But if you don’t, you may never get the information that can help you. You can read about some common sexual issues for women with cancer in our document Sexuality for the Woman with Cancer or by calling the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.

By Stacy Simon
www.cancer.org

Morrison-Clark Facing Potential New Fines for Asbestos Flooring Removal

2009-11-29T05:09:00.001-08:00

Morrison-Clark, a flooring company in South Barre, Vermont, is back in the spotlight again for its improper 2008 removal of asbestos-containing flooring prior to installing a new floor at Main Street Middle School in Montpelier.

The remodeling project was shut down and the school closed when an engineer with the Vermont Department of Health saw workers using the mechanical chippers to remove old floor tiles, in violation of Clean Air Act rules.

Demolition practices regarding asbestos-containing materials are regulated under NESHAP (National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants). This regulation classifies many resilient flooring materials made during most of the last century as Category I materials, and stipulates very specific methods for their removal.

Asbestos in domestic materials manufacture was limited in 1989, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to one percent or less by weight (or volume), but flooring materials made up to 1970 can still contain considerable amounts of asbestos and fall under Category I stipulations.

A recent ruling by the EPA notes that Morrison-Clark failed to: provide advance written notice (typically 10 working days); wet the removed tiles to prevent asbestos fibers entering the air; handle and dispose of the asbestos-containing waste in the specified manner. These violations could result in fines of up to $32,500 per day.

Asbestos is implicated in a number of diseases, including asbestosis, lung and digestive system cancers, and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is generally acquired only after long exposure, but cancers can result from a single exposure. In the case of mesothelioma, that single exposure can lead to a malignant tumor of the mesothelial lining (of the lungs, heart or abdomen) which, after three to five decades, finally invades so much vital tissue that the only prognosis is death within about a year. In about 10 percent of cases, earlier detection and aggressive treatments involving surgery and chemotherapy can lead to a life expectancy of up to five years.

The flooring company already faces a civil suit, filed by the Montpelier School District, which attempts to recoup costs incurred as a result of the company's reportedly improper procedures. The school district charges that it paid out an additional $50,300 to two asbestos remediation firms as a result of Morrison-Clark's work, and an estimated $38,000 in additional miscellaneous costs. These costs have not been explicated, but the fact that the flooring episode delayed school opening (from August 28 to Sept. 2) could account for some of the $38,000. Civil charges against the flooring firm include neglect, breach of contract and fraud. That suit is still pending.

Morrison Clark's lawyer, David Bond, says the company has consistently contested the allegations by both the school district and the Vermont Department of Health, and has requested a hearing. The company insists that its workers followed state regulations - including the use of the mechanical chipper, wetting asbestos and disposing of it appropriately - and that no asbestos contamination was ever discovered as a result of its activities. In addition, Bond asserts that the materials involved in the removal and cleanup aren't regulated by the EPA because of their low asbestos content.

The company has reportedly refused an offer by the EPA to settle, and Bond says he and the company have sufficient testimony to prove the tile removal did not violate any asbestos remediation standards.

If the EPA imposes the maximum penalty allowed - an estimated six-figure fine - Morrison-Clark could well be forced into bankruptcy. The only thing in the company's favor to date is the fact that the EPA agrees that no specific harm as a result of airborne asbestos was caused.

Sources: EPA, WCAX, TimesArgus

Moline, Illinois High School Closed for Asbestos

2009-11-29T04:17:00.001-08:00

On October 9, Fulton High School in Moline, Illinois was closed.

The school would have been closed for Columbus Day anyway, but the unexpected two-day closure was the result of a staff member removing floor tiles from a section of the shop classroom's floor, in violation of every rule the U.S. Environmental Agency, or EPA, has outlined, either through AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) regulations or NESHAP (National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants) requirements relating to the Clean Air Act.

The first, AHERA, outlines a protocol for the safe management of asbestos-containing materials in U.S. schools, whether public, parochial or private. One facet of that protocol involves having a management plan in place, which is disseminated annually, or as needed, to keep school staff and parents apprised. The other mandates that school maintenance staff be trained in asbestos recognition. Another important feature demands that identified or potential asbestos-containing materials be removed by certified asbestos removal personnel only.

NESHAP identifies safe asbestos removal procedures, including wetting the material, disposing of it in appropriately marked containers, and making sure it reaches a landfill designated for hazardous waste. One of the most important features of NESHAP classifies materials by category, either Category I or Category II.

Resilient flooring is a Category I material. In fact, most resilient floors manufactured during the first 75 years of the last century contain some measure of asbestos. Only after 1989, when the EPA restricted asbestos in domestic material manufacture to one percent or less by volume, have resilient floors escaped being synonymous with asbestos.

The tile removal project also forced the suspension of the homecoming football game to Erie-Prophetstown, because players were unable to access the hallway that leads to the equipment room. The floor tiles were taken out of the building that way. As a result, Fulton High School is out of the playoffs, and a great many students are disappointed.

The only good news is that school district officials are working closely with the Illinois Department of Health to make sure no traces of asbestos linger to contaminate students and staff.

Ultrafine and virtually indestructible asbestos fibers can, when inhaled or ingested, lead to a number of diseases, most notably pleural mesothelioma. This particularly virulent cancer of the lining around the lungs typically lies dormant for from three to five decades, allowing the tumor to extensively invade vital tissues. By the time pleural mesothelioma is diagnosed, most patients are given less than 18 months to live.

Air quality tests conducted by a licensed asbestos contractor on Oct. 10 revealed no asbestos. The results were available late on Monday, Oct. 12, and students returned to school on Tuesday.

The shop classroom remains sealed off with plastic sheeting and plywood, and will not be used again until the tile is completely removed. The cost of hiring a licensed contractor to perform the removal is estimated at $10,000. School officials plan to complete the project either during the evening, when students and staff are absent, or over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

No mention has been made about disciplining the school employee who removed the tiles in the first place, but presumably school officials will want to make the school's AHERA plan available on a wider and timelier basis.

Sources: Quad City Times, WQAD

New York Asbestos Trial Postponed As Judge Considers Motions

2009-11-29T03:41:00.001-08:00

In April of 2007, John F. Wood, 57, Mark Desnoyers, 52 (both of Plattsburgh, New York), and Curtis Collins, 50, of Willsboro, New York were accused of a number of illegal activities in central and upstate New York in connection with asbestos removal in public and private buildings and residences.

Desnoyers was charged with falsifying laboratory samples in order to convince clients that all asbestos had been properly removed from their premises - work that was performed under secret agreements with Wood and Collins, both owners of asbestos removal companies.

Wood's style of asbestos removal was described in an official U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document as "directing his employees to perform ‘rip and run' asbestos removals that, rather than removing all asbestos, dispersed and left substantial quantities behind, significantly contaminating numerous businesses and homes". The EPA goes on to note that some of the asbestos removed via that process was buried on a Willsboro, New York farm, mandating Superfund intervention, and funds, to clean it up.

Asbestos, widely used in building products like insulation, floor and ceiling tiles, and mastics and caulks up until about 1970, when various health agencies began to recognize its dangers, is the leading cause of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial tissues around the heart (pericardium), abdomen (peritoneum) and/or lungs (pleura). The most common form is pleural mesothelioma, which occurs in 75 percent of mesothelioma cases.

Pleural mesothelioma has a long dormancy period - up to five decades - during which symptoms are largely indistinguishable from allergies, immune system failures, cardiac conditions or respiratory diseases. Once diagnosed, however (usually via X-rays and blood tests), patients are commonly given between one year and 18 months to live, because the disease has invaded so many vital tissues. About 10 percent of sufferers, if diagnosed early and treated aggressively via surgery and dual chemotherapies, survive up to five years.

One week before the 2007 trial started, Wood (the owner of J&W Construction, Inc.) and Collins (the owner of Adirondack Asbestos) both pleaded guilty to violations of the Clean Air Act and mail fraud and agreed to testify against Desnoyers.

Wood, who started J&W Construction after being released from prison for unrelated felonies in 2005-06, was sentenced to four years in prison and $854,166 in fines by U.S. District Judge David Hurd on February 16 of this year. After his release, he will remain under supervision for another three years.

Collins was given two years and a fine of $114,900 for his part in the scheme, and also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

Desnoyers, the former owner of Adirondack Environmental Associates, was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, mail fraud, and false testimony to agents of the EPA.

Desnoyers has yet to be charged. On Sept. 13, after three adjournments, Desnoyers - who was supposed to have been sentenced in March - will again find himself waiting for his day in court because the judge suspended yet another trial to consider motions that might affect Desnoyer's ultimate sentence.

Legal experts suspect Desnoyers may be facing additional charges. A new trial date has not been set, but the original indictment in 2007 suggested that Desnoyers's sentencing might involve up to 25 years in jail and a fine of $1.25 million, plus restitution.

Sources: EPA, Sundance Channel, Rome Sentinel, iStockAnalyst

Brothers Face Stiff Fines, Jail Term for Illegal Asbestos Removal

2009-11-29T03:40:00.001-08:00

Two brothers, Paul and Steven Mancuso, are accused of falsifying air quality reports regarding their asbestos removal projects in and around the town of Utica, New York. If convicted, Steven Mancuso could face up to five years in state prison and a $250,000 fine. Paul Mancuso, if convicted of operating an illegal disposal business, could be sentenced to fifty-five years in state prison and fines totaling $2.5 million.

Reports issued by the New York bureau of the U.S. Attorney's office show that the brothers, along with associates Frank Meola and Mark Yozzo, doctored the paperwork required by the Environmental Protection Agency for companies conducting asbestos abatement and cleanup projects.

Meola and Yozzo are scheduled to testify in court this week regarding the laboratory samples of air in the area that they took from the sites of demolished businesses, schools, health clinics and homes. Federal prosecutors allege that the men forged the tests in order to hide the inferior precautions taken at the locations where the Mancuso brothers' company carried out the asbestos disposal.

Craig Benedict, the federal attorney handling the prosecution, stated that Yozzo would tell the judge about how Paul Mancuso requested his help in administering air-sampling tasks tied to the company's asbestos removal projects. Benedict also said that Yozzo learned how to take the air samples as he watched Meola carry out the jobs. The problem, according to Benedict, is that Meola was not using the proper procedures for the tests, thus Yozzo never learned how to complete the tests the right way.

Prosecutors have also stated that the brothers and their alleged co-conspirators used various methods to manipulate air-testing documents required by the EPA. One particular instance shows how data written on an EPA form was covered in white correction fluid and written over by another party. Another case shows a document with a piece of paper glued over it that showed different data than the original tests. On several occasions, Yozzo's signature would appear on a document that recorded data at a test site where he was not present.

In opening statements on the case, Benedict and other prosecutors maintain that the brothers conducted asbestos remediation jobs across the area that were both illegal and unsafe. Benedict said that the case was about how the defendants continued "lying, cheating and deceiving" on a regular basis, both to government officials and to their clients with regard to asbestos levels present at the sites they worked. He also stated that Steven Mancuso, an attorney by trade, allegedly wrote falsified legal papers that hid his brother's role in the company. Paul Mancuso had been convicted in 2003 of violating the federal Clean Air Act and was prohibited from conducting asbestos removal operations.

Frank Policelli, the defense attorney for Steven Mancuso, stated his client's innocence and that no one could be certain of who was responsible for the forged documents. During opening statements, he mentioned that the jury should judge the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses and understand that "all the exhibits in the world" would not necessarily point to Steven Mancuso's guilt.

Another aspect of the trial involves Meola's campaign for Utica City Controller. Meola, a Democrat, is running against incumbent Republican Michael Cerminaro and independent Rocco Garro. Meola has not yet decided to stop his campaign and the city's Democratic Party Chairman has not released a statement. Garro called for Meola to drop out of the race due to the scandal. Voters go to the polls on November 3.

Sources: WKTV, Utica Observer-Dispatch

Estes Park Mall Fire Brings Concerns about Asbestos

2009-11-29T03:38:00.001-08:00

While a group of 21 specialists, scoured the wreckage of the October 19 fire that ravaged the Park Theatre Mall in Estes Park, Colorado, a canine unit from the state's investigative bureau searches, so far in vain, for the cause of the fire that devastated this historic landmark.

Twelve businesses were destroyed by the fire, including: 14er`s Cafe, the Hiking Hut, Home for the Holidays, Intrigue Gift Shop, the Last Outpost, Madam Vera, Memories Old Time Portraits, Mountain Blown Glass, the Music Box Collection, Spectrum Gallery, 110 E. Elkhorn, and the Wynbrier Wildlife Gallery.

Two other businesses not yet opened, Embroidery and Signs and Pillow Pets, will presumably have to find a new location.

The Park Theatre Mall was built in the early 1900s and served, first, as a carriage house and livery stable, then as a pottery factory. In the 1970s - when sprinkler systems weren't mandated under fire code regulations, and asbestos-containing construction materials were considered acceptable - it was remodeled to become the current mall. At that time, it housed five separate retail locations.

A Salud physician, Dr. George Crislip, said he warned officials during the fire about the danger of asbestos, both to firefighters and first responders, and to residents of Estes Park who were in the vicinity of the fire.

Asbestos was mined and used in a number of building products during most of the last century, leaving a legacy that still kills an estimated 20,000 individuals a year. The fibers, too small to be seen without an electron microscope, can be inhaled or ingested (merely by swallowing saliva) and cause irritations in the respiratory and digestive tracts.

The most dangerous form of asbestos disease is mesothelioma, a cancer of the mesothelial lining around the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), the heart (pericardial mesothelioma) and the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma).

Pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common form, found in 75 percent of cases. It lies dormant, sometimes as long as 50 years, producing few definitive symptoms but progressively impacting vital tissue. By the time it is diagnosed, most physicians offer patients a prognosis of between one year and 18 months to live.

As Crislip noted, it's hard to estimate how much asbestos was left behind, or actually created, during remodeling, but much of it was likely exposed by the fire and subsequent crumbling walls, collapsed roof and fire debris blown by the wind.

Calling asbestos a "hidden disaster waiting to happen", Crislip added that human exposure during and after the fire may lead to an Estes Park legacy of asbestos illnesses a few decades down the road, and urged Estes Park citizens to rethink their initiative to abolish the Estes Park Urban Renewal Authority, or EPURA - which initiative will appear on a January 2010 mail-in ballot.

The agency, Crislip noted, would be highly instrumental in asbestos remediation, if the substance was discovered in fire-related debris. EPURA Commissioner Art Blume reiterated the warning, adding that smoke plumes may have carried asbestos debris over the entire town.

Meanwhile, the fire department and canine crews continue to search for a cause of the fire, which may or not be arson-related.

Source: Estes Park Trail-Gazette

Denver Water Whistleblowers Report Asbestos Dumping

2009-11-22T05:53:00.001-08:00

Several Denver Water workers are now saying that they were ordered to illegally dump asbestos and other hazardous substances on a lot at 12th Avenue and Sheridan Street more than two decades ago.

This location, three blocks south of the city's east-west divider, Colfax Avenue, lies on the western edge of Lakewood Gulch Park, and south of Sloan's Lake Park, the city's largest water feature. A former dump site, the area includes the Dry Gulch Stream.

Denver Water, founded in 1918, is a public utility that gets its funding from new tap fees and water service charges. As Colorado's oldest water utility, it serves 1.3 million people in the metro area, and also delivers water to areas like Lakewood, Littleton, and the Valley Water District.

Providing one-third of the state's treated water supply, or about 234,000 acre-feet per year, it gets water from the South Platte River, the Blue River, the Williams Fork River, and the Fraser River, as well as South Boulder Creek, Ralston Creek and Bear Creek.

Under a conservation message designed to conserve Eastern Slope Colorado Water, Denver Water's slogan, "Use Only What You Need", suggests an environmentally friendly profile. If what Pacheco says is true, the environmental profile has suffered a serious blow.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral widely used in construction and some automotive products during most of the last century. The fibers, too small to be seen except with an electron microscope, can be inhaled or ingested from broken material and lodge in the mesothelial tissues of the body (that is, the linings of the lungs, or pleura, the heart, or pericardium, and the abdomen, or peritoneum). Once there, they can lie dormant for decades, causing irritation and, eventually, cancer.

Because of its long dormancy and extensive invasion of vital tissues, pleural mesothelioma is largely viewed as an incurable cancer, and most doctors providing a diagnosis also give patients about a year to live. In cases where the disease is caught early, about 10 percent of victims can survive up to five years if treated aggressively with surgical interventions and dual chemotherapies.

Former Denver Water worker testimony was apparently prompted by the fact that digging for the western corridor of the city's light rail service, RTD Fast Tracks, and erecting a proposed new light rail station, will expose this buried asbestos. The question is whether the dumping was illegal, or part of a larger program to dispose of hazardous waste at a time when regulations were not so stringent.

Adrienne Anderson, an environmental investigator for Denver Direct, the city's small but totally independent electronic environmental publication, calls the news "outrageous", and says, if true, Denver Water should be responsible for cleaning up the site. The cost will actually fall to RTD Fast Tracks, which is funded by taxpayers.

Denver Water has neither confirmed nor denied the report, but did issue a statement saying that it had disposed of hazardous waste in the past "in accordance with regulations current at the time". The agency has also denied any affiliation or connection with the former landfill at 12th and Sheridan, and noted that asbestos disposal regulations, managed through the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, or CDPHE, have changed over time.

Whistleblowers attended the Denver Water board meeting on Oct. 28 (Tuesday), ostensibly held to announce a rate increase as a result of water availability issues in the increasingly dry state. CO WATCH, a project of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, was at the meeting to hear the testimony (later reported by Denver Fox News affiliate KDVR). Anderson writes for CO WATCH.

Sources: KDVR, FasTracks Regional Transportation District of Denver website, CO WATCH website

Fresno, California Police Department Employees Exposed to Asbestos

2009-11-19T21:38:00.002-08:00

On September 21, a Fresno, California-area newspaper reported the exposure of about 90 city employees to asbestos as a result of construction crews installing fire suppression equipment in two computer rooms next to the police department's communications, or dispatch, center.

Asbestos exposure can lead to a number of diseases. The first is asbestosis, a respiratory disease similar to asthma commonly acquired after long exposure to asbestos, either in mining, manufacturing (of asbestos-containing products), or installation of said products, as with automobile brake mechanics.

Fortunately, in 1989 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limited the use of asbestos in domestic products to one percent or less by a volume. The limit does not imply to imported products, which can contain unregulated levels.

Another asbestos-induced disease is pleural mesothelioma. One of three types of cancer of the mesothelial lining, pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common, closely followed by peritoneal mesothelioma (abdominal) and pericardial mesothelioma (heart).

Not only is pleural mesothelioma common, and caused primarily by asbestos, but - unlike asbestosis - it requires only a single exposure to trigger the disease. Once exposed, victims are not likely to exhibit many symptoms for several decades, or up to 50 years in some cases, and what few symptoms they do exhibit can easily be mistaken for allergic reactions, compromised immune systems, or persistent pneumonias.

At the end of this long dormancy period, symptoms can become quite pronounced, and diagnosis is usually made by a simple X-ray. Unfortunately, by that time, the tumor has invaded so many tissues, and even vital organs, that little can be done to halt the cancer. Many patients diagnosed with long-standing pleural mesothelioma are given about a year to live, though some cases, caught early enough, respond moderately well to aggressive therapies involving surgery and/or multiple regimens of chemotherapy.

Only recently have tests become available that can diagnose pleural mesothelioma early, and the most technologically sophisticated of these relies on testing the soluble mesothelin-related protein content of pleural effusions, or fluid accumulations in the pleural cavity.

The 90 workers in Fresno's police department, all of whom were in the area at various times, have been notified via voice mail and other means that their exposure may have left them open to developing mesothelioma in the future. Fortunately, the risk was mitigated due to the fact that the rooms in which the work was conducted have their own separate air system, so only those entering the rooms have been directly exposed, though these individuals might have carried asbestos fibers into other rooms on clothing.

In the interim, the dispatch center has been relocated elsewhere, and city officials have ordered air-quality sampling of the dispatch center and equipment rooms to determine if asbestos particles became airborne.

Asbestos, when sealed, sequestered or undisturbed, is not dangerous. When it becomes airborne, it can be inhaled or ingested, leading to lesions in the lungs and/or digestive tract that can develop into various forms of mesothelioma.

City officials knew the area contained asbestos, but did not consider it a danger because it had been sealed off. The fire suppression installation had been going on for over a week before someone noticed that asbestos-containing materials had been disturbed. Employees who may have been exposed have been informed that they can see their own medical provider and file a claim with the city against the future development of asbestos-related diseases.

The legacy costs of mesothelioma can't even be calculated, but in the U.S. alone, $40 billion sits in various trusts to pay those costs. Unfortunately, only about 30 percent of that actually makes it way to those suffering from mesothelioma, according to non-profit global think tank RAND Corporation.

Asbestos was widely used in hundreds of construction, automotive and household products during most of the last century, leading to the aforementioned legacy costs. According to a Yale School of Organization and Management study conducted in 1992, this widespread use of asbestos will lead to 200,000 asbestos-related deaths over the next 25 years, at a cost to manufacturers and their insurers of at least $50 billion dollars.

Sources: Madison Record, KSEE, JusticeNewsFlash

In West Virginia, Former GSA Asbestos Official Sentenced

2009-11-19T21:38:00.001-08:00

In October of 2007, Paul Prendergast, former coordinator for The W. Virginia Department of Administration's General Services Division (GSA), which regulates the occupational health and safety of the state's residents, pleaded guilty to violating the federal Travel Act by divulging confidential bid information to a Maryland company.

Almost a year to the day, Prendergast has been sentenced to a year in prison and $3,000 in fines by a Maryland federal court, which heard the testimony surrounding Prendergast - who worked for the GSA from 1998 to 2003 - and his involvement with Maryland-based Environmental and Demolition Services Inc. (EDS), a construction company engaged in asbestos remediation and other environmental building solutions.

Prendergast, 47, reportedly provided EDS with the information needed to win bids. In return, he received kickbacks totaling $11,000 between 2000 and 2003, during his tenure as GSA coordinator. Also, in 2001, he negotiated a joint-venture landfill agreement with EDS in which he would share the proceeds.

After leaving the GSA and W. Virginia, Prendergast - as a result of his alliance with EDS - also obtained a highly paid position in an associated firm also based in Gaithersburg, where he settled. While there, he earned a yearly salary of $85,000 and received an additional $55,000 from a subcontractor by virtue of his role as project manager for the company.

During his GSA tenure, Prendergast was in charge of asbestos and lead removal from the W. Virginia Capitol Complex, a 535,000-square-foot building comprised of 333 rooms in the main building and two wings, all built between 1924 and 1932.

Most buildings erected in the first half of the last century contain varying amounts of asbestos, either as insulation or in floor tiles, acoustical ceilings, or even in plaster. Given the age and size of the Capitol Complex, and the need (recognized by the state's Legislature in 1990) to continually renovate, many projects were undertaken. The cost to the state, between 1999 and 2005, was $329,634 just for asbestos abatement work alone.

Asbestos, when it becomes friable (or broken), releases minute particles that can be inhaled or ingested by swallowing saliva. When this happens, the particles can become lodged in the mesothelial linings of the body, found in the lung (pleura), around the heart (pericardium), and in the abdomen (peritoneum).

The most common form of mesothelioma, a cancer of mesothelial tissues, is pleural, which accounts for 75 percent of all cases. Because of its long dormancy, sometimes up to 50 years, mesothelioma ends up involving a lot of vital tissue before it is diagnosed. When diagnosis is finally achieved, doctors rarely give patients more than 18 months to live, though then percent - diagnosed early - may survive up to five years under a combined regiment of surgery and dual chemotherapies.

In 2007, after pleading guilty, Prendergast agreed to cooperate with investigators, acting as an undercover informant recording conversations and documenting questionable behavior with regard to asbestos removal by companies hired by the state. In exchange, the state agreed to postpone his sentence until enough evidence could be accumulated to convict said companies.

Subsequent to Prendergast's leaving the GSA, his replacement, Gary Bryant Jr. (and Bryant's assistant, Gary McClanahan) were both fired for inflating their pay by filing false overtime records. The same Legislative Auditor's report, issued in 2006, found that the GSA had improperly distributed monies from the Asbestos Litigation Recovery Fund.

A 2006 report by the Legislative Auditor's office concluded that Prendergast's replacement, Gary Bryant Jr.; and Gary McClanahan, Bryant's assistant, were milking overtime in the asbestos abatement program to inflate their pay. Bryant and McClanahan were fired.

The report also criticized General Services for improperly distributing funds from the Asbestos Litigation Recovery Fund (Asbestos Fund), a federal fund set up to pay asbestos injury claimants and administrated at the state level.

Sources: Charleston Gazette, The New Standard

Columbia, Missouri Parent Moves Student Because of Asbestos Risk

2009-11-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

Early this year, Christine Doerr raised the alarm about asbestos in Room 213 at Jefferson Junior High School in the Columbia, Missouri school district.

Doerr's concern was the result of a renovation that subsequently revealed, according to a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) inspection, high asbestos levels in the air. Missouri's DNR is the agency charged with regulating asbestos in public buildings.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, target is 1 percent, or 0.01 fibers per milliliter of air - a limit the agency does not describe as "safe" but only as acceptable. The EPA, like OSHA, the CDC and the American Cancer Society, agrees that that there is no safe level of asbestos; an hour or a lifetime can trigger mesothelioma.

The school district initially went by a 1983 inspection document, which showed that all asbestos had been removed. Given that report, school district officials felt it was safe to proceed with the renovation without hiring an asbestos inspector. After the DNR inspection, the district collected its own samples, all of which showed the same disconcertingly high levels of asbestos.

The DNR ultimately sent the school district a warning letter, advising it to insure that such violations don't happen in the future by hiring a full-time air quality inspector. The school district complied. The position is funded at $68,850.

Doerr's daughter, who suffers from allergies and asthma, has since moved to Columbia Independent School (CIS), a tuition-based private K-12 school, with the help of a full scholarship. Doerr, of course, is delighted. She is also not the first to take her child out of Columbia's public schools. In January, Ines Segert, a member of the Columbia Board of Education, moved her son over to CIS, though this time the issue was math.

Asbestos in schools is increasingly becoming a problem as America's schools age. Asbestos, widely used in many construction and renovation materials during most of the last century, can lead to a number of diseases when its fibers become airborne. One of these diseases, asbestosis, is generally triggered only by long exposures. Malignant mesothelioma, however, can be caused by a single exposure, and its tendency to lie dormant for several decades means that, by the time it is diagnosed, the cancer has become extensive, invading not only tissue but vital organs.

A number of school districts over the past decade have made the news by violating the EPA's AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) regulations which govern schools, both public and private. AHERA, passed in 1986, lays out some essential asbestos monitoring, reporting and remediation rules aimed at protecting America's school children from precisely the kind of hidden danger that asbestos represents.

The violations are often unintentional, but this is no protection to students. Parents who are concerned that their school district might not be up-to-date on asbestos regulations in schools can request a copy of the EPA's 20-page publication, ABCs of Asbestos in Schools (Report Number: EPA-745-K93-017), either by writing to the agency at the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Washington D.C. 20005, or by accessing an electronic copy of the document at: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/abcsfinal.pdf

Source: Columbia Tribune

California Planning to Send Asbestos Waste to Winnemucca, Nevada

2009-11-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

You know your town or community is small when acting as a trash dump is considered a viable source of revenue. You know you're fighting a losing battle when the desert landscape where you live in relative isolation is viewed as an appropriate place to dump such toxic trash as asbestos.

This is the situation in Winnemucca, Nevada lately, where California waste disposal company Recology is seeking a contract to dump 20 tons of garbage for the next 95 years.

Tiny Winnemucca, 320 miles northeast of San Francisco as the crow flies, is scarcely more than a pit stop on Highway 80 between Salt Lake City and the Bay area. Its population, 7,726, barely qualifies it for the 11 schools within its district. In fact, the town boasts twice as many hotels and motels as schools, not only because it is on a major east-west artery but because Nevada's gambling laws make even the smallest town a tourist hotspot.

The proposed one-square mile dump, or landfill, is reportedly in a seismic zone; that is, subject to possible earthquakes, and landfill plans don't include engineered barriers or liners to protect the area's delicate aquifer.

Nevada's Democratic Senator, Harry Reid, is urging Gov. Jim Gibbons to block the proposal. Residents of Winnemucca are equally incensed, not merely by the idea that their desert is seen (by Californians) as a prime dumping ground, but by the fact that the waste may include asbestos.

Asbestos, a fibrous mineral widely used in construction and automotive products for most of the last century, is most dangerous when broken - as it would be when sent to a landfill. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandates that it be properly sealed, or wrapped, not everything arrives at a landfill in the condition in which is was packaged, and residents are concerned that eventually asbestos would disperse into the air, or migrate into the water table.

Other ingredients planned for the landfill include household waste, rubber tires and dried sewage sludge. At a rate of 20,000 tons per week, the pile could eventually stand 20 stories high - an eyesore visible for miles. But it is the asbestos that truly worries some residents, because once it gets into the water, or the air, the potential for a number of diseases like asbestosis, lung and digestive system cancers, and peritoneal mesothelioma, rises exponentially.

Asbestosis is the result of long exposure, and would not be expected to show up for several generations. Unfortunately, the same is true for mesothelioma, which has a dormancy period of up to 50 years before the symptoms become disconcerting enough that sufferers feel compelled to seek medical care. Thus, by the time most mesothelial cancers are diagnosed, they have invaded so much vital tissue that the prognosis is quite poor. In fact, most mesothelioma sufferers are given between a year and 18 months to live, with less than 10 percent (those diagnosed early) surviving up to five years with aggressive treatment.

Recology argues that the revenue stream, about $1 million per year, more than makes up for the dangers. Clearly, a majority of the Humboldt County Board of Commissioners agree, with only Commissioner Tom Fransway dissenting.

Recology spokesman Adam Alberti assures that the landfill will be double-lined, but Jim French, of Nevadans Against Garbage, has described the proposal as flying so far under the radar (in terms of actual plans submitted) that nothing guarantees the plan is safe.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

Judge Rules against Plaintiffs in SDG&E, Sempra Energy Asbestos Dispute

2009-11-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

The case began in 2000, when residents of Encanto and Lemon Grove, California, living within 500 feet of a gas pipe demolitions site, received letters from San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) notifying them of the presence of asbestos at the site.

In September of that year, SDG&E expanded the "unsafe" zone to 1,000 feet, but continued to insist that pre-inspections by various county and municipal agencies deemed the work no threat to health and safety.

The pipe demolition work led to a federal grand jury trial in 2006, with residents charging the utility, project manager Kyle Rhuebottom, and two Sempra entities with violating the Clean Air Act under NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants) regulations. Sempra Energy is the gas delivery portion of SDG&E's utility operations.

Called a "Proposition 65" case (the state's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986), the grand jury ruled that the entities named had failed to properly warn residents of the asbestos hazards at the Encanto Gas Holder site from 2000 to the date the case was dismissed.

Asbestos, a fibrous mineral used widely during most the last century as insulation for buildings, boiler pipes and the like, emits - when broken - microscopic fibers that can be inhaled or ingested merely by swallowing saliva.

Once inside the body, these minute fibers irritate tissue, causing lesions which can lead to mesothelioma, a cancer of the mesothelial linings around the lungs (pleural), heart (pericardial) and abdomen (peritoneal).

Of these, pleural mesothelioma is the most common, occurring in three-fourths of cases. Because of its long dormancy period (up to five decades), and initially insignificant symptoms, by the time pleural mesothelioma is diagnosed it has caused a lot of damage, and doctors usually give patients less than two years to live.

Additionally, rates of exposure are not linked to causation or severity; a single exposure, or a lifetime's exposure, can cause mesothelioma.

Asbestos-containing pipe wrap from the Encanto site tested at 5- to 10-percent chrysotile asbestos (for the 1953 sample). A second sample, from 1955, showed asbestos content in the 40- to 50-percent range. SDG&E's own sample, as tested by a laboratory, showed 50- to 60-percent asbestos.

Since 2001, Chollas Creek in the Encanto Gas Holder site has displayed a white coating after storm-water runoff - a coating residents are convinced contains asbestos fibers which can seriously impact their future health.

In spite of that, 27 pieces of evidence, including the asbestos testing portion of the case, were ruled inadmissible, irrelevant or irregular by Judge Dana M. Sabraw in District Court. As a result, this newest trial, United States of America v. SDG&E, has been dismissed.

The trial, scheduled for November 20 at the Hall of Justice Department C-60 (Sacramento), has been removed from the calendar, leaving plaintiffs to wonder if all the thanks given them by local U.S. Department of Justice attorney Melanie Pierson, and Judge Yuri Hofmann, are merely a polite brush-off from a legal system that seems to favor corporations over people when it comes to the legacy of asbestos disease.

Source: San Diego Reader

Mesothelioma Death Rates in Northeast England at Record Levels

2009-11-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

The total number of workers in the northeast section of England who are suffering from mesothelioma has reached the highest levels yet recorded. Worse still, an extensive research report of the British government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) office states that the number of people in the region to be diagnosed with the disease is not due to reach its full height until the year 2016.

The study results imply that workers in the industrial region will continue to be treated for the disease, which affects the fluid surrounding the lungs, for years to come. Mesothelioma is a rare and often fatal form of cancer that frequently arises from long-term exposure to asbestos fibers. Patients with the disease often die within eighteen months of receiving the diagnosis. With incidences of mesothelioma on the rise, the HSE is treating the situation as a regional and national health crisis.

Investigators at the HSE have predicted that the number of mesothelioma cases will continue to increase for at least another seven years. Reports show a total of 2,046 men died due to mesothelioma in 2005 and 2,058 in 2006, with a sharp increase to 2,156 in 2007. Results from the study also examined the frequency of incidence among females; since jobs that require exposure to asbestos are in male-dominated sectors such as construction, demolition and mining, male patients had an incidence rate five times higher than their female co-workers.

However, the death rate for females rose at a much steeper rate. From 2002 to 2004, the death rate from malignant mesothelioma among females was 11.19 per million, compared to 87.08 per million among males. From 2005 to 2007, the death rate from mesothelioma among females jumped to 16.41 per million, an increase of over forty-six percent from the previous three years. The death rate among males during the same time period was 89.52 per million, an increase of less than three percent.

During the 1950s and 1960s, northeastern England was an industrial center, with numerous facilities specializing in coal mining and shipbuilding. Many of these facilities used asbestos in manufacturing and mining processes. Although women did not typically work in these areas at the time, the theory is that many of the women who contracted the disease did so by being exposed to asbestos fibers that clung to the male worker's clothing.

An HSE representative asserted that asbestos exposure for workers in the area was not simply a problem of the past, but still poses a serious health threat to modern workers. Although the British government instituted a total ban on asbestos-containing materials in 2000, at least half a million foreign-owned facilities in Britain still contain asbestos at varying levels. According to the HSE spokesman, asbestos "is Britain's biggest industrial killer".

One of they key initiatives that the HSE office is likely to start is an asbestos education program for both the workers on the ground and the supervisors and managers of the affected facilities. Agency officials also warned that they would step up efforts to prosecute firms that did not follow strict guidelines in cleaning up and disposing of the toxic material, including providing workers with protective clothing and breathing masks, as well as minimizing the danger of exposure to the general public.

Sources: The Northern Echo, FMWorld

All About Mesothelioma

2009-11-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is normally caused by asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is cancer that occurs in the mesothelium.

Mesothelioma:
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer affecting the cells of mesothelial lining in the chest and abdomen. Mesothelioma cancer can develop in the tissues covering the lungs or the abdomen. Mesothelioma has also been found in the stomach and other abdominal organs but it is much rarer in those areas than are both pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma can also occur in the ovaries and scrotum. Mesothelioma invades the chest wall or the esophagus during the second stage.Mesothelioma also takes a long time to develop (typically 15-40 years), so patients today could have been exposed prior to the 1980s when asbestos was not highly regulated. Mesothelioma is not caused by smoking, as lung cancer so often is.

Symptoms:
Symptoms One of the most common symptoms of mesothelioma is an accumulation of fluid between the lining of the lung and the chest cavity. Symptoms include:abdominal painascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen a mass in the abdomen problems with bowel function weight loss. Symptoms such as trouble swallowing, pain, or swelling of the neck and face can be indications that the cancer has spread beyond the mesotheliom to other parts of the body. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include persistent pain in the chest and severe difficulty breathing caused by pleural effusion, or an accumulation of fluid in the pleural lining Cough, weight loss, and fever are also common symptoms. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Diagnosis:
The key to long-term survival from treatment of mesothelioma is early diagnosis, which enables the greatest potential for success from standard therapies. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history, including any history of asbestos exposure. Diagnosis of Mesothelioma is based on a pathological exam, more commonly referred to as a biopsy.Since this disease can be hard to diagnosis and costly to treat, it may require the consultation of an experienced attorney. When conclusive diagnosis cannot be made from fluid samples, diagnosis is often made through a surgical procedure called a throrascopy.The average age at diagnosis of mesothelioma is between 50 and 70 years old, with men being affected three to five times more often than women. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. The median survival time is 17 months, with ten percent of patients living for three years after diagnosis.

Conclusion:
Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer which is fairly rare although in the last few decades the number of people who have died from it have dramatically increased. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, but the deadliest one of all. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer and only affects between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the United States per year. Mesothelioma is less common in African Americans than in white Americans. Mesothelioma is rare in people under age 55. National Cancer Institute stats show that 3000 new diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is reported each year. Mesothelioma is not always fatal and that is the hope to hold on to.

How to Make a Great Rock Album Rock Out Hard

2009-03-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

So you are a musician and want to make a rock album? Well, here are some things you might want to consider.

1. Define your trademark and intrigue the public. There must always be a connection between your message, your style and public expectations. In short, you need to find your own secret formula.

2. Choose your songs. This is an example of how a 12-song rock album might be organized, but don't feel afraid to branch-out, just don't lose continuity:

* Hard Rock Song 1 - Song to Set the Tone of the Album. (But this doesn't have to be in the exact "Hard Rock" style. A good example of "pumping up" the listener, but no using this exact format is AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" from the Razors Edge album.)
* Power Rock Song 1 - Fast and Catchy. Potential Album Single. (Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'n' Roll" from Led Zeppelin Four is a good example)
* Moody Rock Song 1 - Slow Down to Allow Last Song to Resonate.
* Power Rock Song 2 - Lift the Album's Speed Back Up Again. (Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop" from Led Zeppelin Four is a good example)
* Hard Rock Song 2 - Medium Paced Song to Allow the Album to Flow.
* Dark Song 1 - Something to Catch the Listener Off Guard.
* Transitional Song - Almost Like a Second Introduction.
* Hard Rock Song 3 - Real Meat of the Album. Fewer "Hooks."
* Dark Song 2 - Dark Concept Songs Generally Work Better Later On.
* Hard Rock Song 4 - Substance With Little Gimmick. Purer Song.
* Power Song 3 - One Last Heavier Song to Complete the Album.
* Closing Rock Song - Usually Carries an "Ending" Theme With It.

3. Be aware that there are several variations to this formula. Most artists will place their 1st album single at the beginning of an album while others will place it anywhere up to the 5th track slot. This list simply outlines the general industry standard called "Front Loading." This is where the album has a decisive flow with it's content perfectly streaming along the first half of the album. Most times the first half of the album holds many key songs in order to make the album sell. The second half of the album is generally there for the artists and true fans of the artist. Hence, the second half of the album is created to be almost a second chapter to the record.

4. Make sure you have a unifying theme.

5. Find an agent and/or publicist and begin to market your album. Play gigs wherever you can to get the word out.

How to Choose a Guitar Amplifier for Rock Music

2009-03-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

Although it is a simple matter to walk into the first music shop you see and pick out a guitar amplifier ("amp") at random, you will probably be unsatisfied with the results of this method. If you take a couple of minutes to figure out what you are shopping for, you will be able to make a purchase that you will enjoy for years to come.

Steps

1. Determine the size of the amp you will need. Amps are rated by wattage rather than physical size (although high-wattage amps do tend to be physically larger). By wattage, there are essentially three main categories of guitar amplifiers (combos, heads, and rack-mounted amplifiers), with several subcategories:

* Combo (combination) amps combine the amplifier electronics with one or more speakers in a one-piece package. They are the alternative to "heads," which contain only the electronics, and are attached to separate speaker packages (known as "cabinets" or "cabs")Understand that since it is a one-piece unit, the combo design is generally preferred for smaller, lower-wattage amps. The following are the most common varieties of combo amp:

o
Marshall MS-2 - a tiny micro amp with nothing close to real Marshall tone
Marshall MS-2 - a tiny micro amp with nothing close to real Marshall tone
Micro amps: 1-10 watts. These are tiny, ultra-portable amps which are useful for practice on the go (or when others are trying to sleep). They don't pack enough volume to be used in most "jam" situations (where you must be heard above other musicians). As a rule, their sound quality tends to be poor (when compared to larger amps). The Marshall MS-2 is an example of a super-portable (1 watt) micro amp which has received good reviews for a solid state amp of this size.

2.
Roland Cube 30 - a popular practice amp
Roland Cube 30 - a popular practice amp
Practice amps: 10-30 watts. Practice amps are also suited for the bedroom/living room environment, although the loudest of them may be used for small gigs (performances), especially if a microphone is used to run them through the venue's PA system. As with micro amps, practice amps tend to compare unfavorably to larger units in terms of sound quality, unless the practice amp is a good quality tube amp. Popular practice tube amps that sound as good or better than many larger amps include, Fender Champ, Epiphone Valve Junior and the Fender Blues Jr. As a general rule, the best practice amps have at least a 10 inch speaker. This is the smallest speaker size which is generally considered a "real speaker." If you don't have a 10 inch (or larger) speaker, don't try to use the amp outside the bedroom.

1. 3.
Crate 1x12 combo amp
Crate 1x12 combo amp
Full-size 1x12 combos: With 50 or more watts of power and one 12 inch speaker, the 1x12 amp offers the smallest package which is considered suitable as a stand-alone amplifier for small gigs. (Keep in mind that you can mic smaller amps though) In better models, sound quality begins to approach levels acceptable to professional musicians. Quality is always important, but perhaps even more so in the case of the 1x12 combo - with a good one, you'll prove the doubters wrong, but with one of the many duds, you won't be taken seriously. The 1x12 is not a big amp, and if you want to bring it to a serious audition or gig without enduring a storm of eye-rolling and chuckling, it had better stand out from the crowd.

*but they add a second 12 inch speaker. The 2x12 design is considerably heavier and bulkier than the 1x12, but it is still a favorite choice of working musicians for performances at small to medium-sized venues. The addition of a second speaker allows for certain stereo effects, and two speakers simply move more air than one (allowing more "presence" in your sound). The 2x12 amp is small enough to be used in the living room, light enough to be lugged around by someone without major back problems, and yet formidable enough to be taken seriously at rehearsals, auditions, and even on stage. If you have to buy a single amp for practice, rehearsals, and club gigs, a 2x12 is a good choice. You'll occassionally slip and set the volume knob a bit too high (annihilating your unfortunate neighbors), and you'll be tempted to gripe about lugging 50-80 pounds worth of amp all over the place, but it will all be worthwhile when you hear the tone you can get from a quality model.

4. Know that there are other types of combos, but these are the mainstays. Having discussed them, we are ready to move on to heads and stacks.
Heads, Cabinets, and Stacks

A head is an amplifier without speakers. A cabinet ("cab") is a stand-alone speaker enclosure, which can be connected to a head. A stack is a head and a set of cabinets connected together, ready for use. Stacks are generally preferred for gigs rather than practice, although there's no rule against having a enormous stack in your living room - if your family allows it. Fair warning: in most cases, they won't. Stacks are physically bulky, very heavy, and devastatingly LOUD. These are the tools of musicians who either play arenas and stadiums on a regular basis - or at least dream of doing so.

* Heads are all roughly the same size physically, but they come in a variety of wattages. "Small" heads pack 50-100 watts. Full-power heads are generally 100 watts or more. There are also super heads, boasting a tinnitus-inducing 200-400 watts of power. For performances at small to medium-size venues, a small head is more than enough. The smaller heads are often connected to a single 4x12 cabinet (which contains four 12 inch speakers, as the name suggests). This type of setup is known as a "half stack," and it is a favorite of working musicians. The half stack offers plenty of volume, the presence of four speakers, and the "my penis is really small credibility" associated with stacks and Corvettes.

* The full stack is the dream of many a guitarist. This is usually a 100 watt head connected to two 4x12 cabinets, although other wattages are sometimes employed. The cabinets are stacked vertically (one on top of the other), giving the setup its distinctive name. A full stack is as tall as a grown man, making for quite an impressive sight. The sound is equally impressive. If you set one of these up in your living room and play it to its full capabilities, you will be evicted from the neighborhood (unless you are an isolated hermit). A full stack can handle all but the very largest of venues. Guitarists who are truly sadistic (in a sonic sense), such as some heavy metal players, may run one of the 200-400 watt super heads through a full stack. With any full stack (and especially the "hot rod" setups), you will require ear protection to play at higher volumes without sustaining potentially serious ear damage.

If you do get the skills (or the money) to get a full stack, you will have no regrets. It is a monstrosity in its own right--the thunder of a true rocker. You will be unmatched if you bring this weapon to the battlefield but at the same time, it can be your undoing--much like a lightsaber.

Stacks are great for playing big venues (and for impressing your friends), but if you aren't a working or touring musician, they can be "overkill" for most situations. Lugging around full-size 4x12 speaker cabinets is hard work, fit only for "roadies" who are getting paid to do it. Showing up to an audition with a full stack and a hand truck to set it up can be almost as bad as showing up with a practice amp. If you lug in a stack, you'd better have the skills to justify it, or (once again), you'll become another "inside story" for the band to chuckle about after rehearsal - "The Newbie Guy Who Brought a Full Stack to the Audition."

Many musicians use "racks," usually a reinforced metal box with removable panels on the front and back. The front side of the rack, when open, has two verticale rows of threaded screw holes on the sides. Rack sizes have been standardized for years -- they are made to fit ALL rack-moutable units, including recording gear, PA amplifiers, vocal processors, chromatic tuners, DJ gear, etc. in addition to guitar amps. Rack-mounted products have a sturdy metal face plate strong enough to support the entire product; they are a standard width, a standard maximum depth, and are usually much shorter than they are tall or deep. The face plate is wider than the rest of the unit and has screw holes on each corner, spaced to line up with the screw holes on the front of any rack. To attach gear to the rack, lay your rack on its backside, place the unit in the rack so that the unit dangles down into the rack, its entire weight supported by the face plate, line it up with the screw holes, and fasten it at each corner with properly-sized screws. The smallest rack products are the shortest, covering only two screw holes -- these are said to take up "one rack space." A larger product that covers up four screw holes on your rack takes up "two rack spaces," and so on. To figure out how many spaces a rack has, count the screw holes on one side and divide it by two.

A rack-mounted guitar amplifier rig is similar to heads in that they have separate amplifier components that are plugged into external speaker cabinets. But nearly all rack-mounted amplifiers are broken down into two further categories -- the pre-amp and the power amp. Both heads and combos have these separate components as well -- racks merely separate them out into two units. Most major amplifier manufacturers, including Marshall, Carvin, Mesa-Boogie, and Peavey make rack-mountable amp rigs.

* The Pre-Amp shapes the signal entering your amplifier into a tone. In its basic form, a pre-amp defines the levels of treble, bass, and middle in your tone. However, functions such as gain, presence, and contour have become standard features of modern guitar amplifiers, and rack-mountable pre-amps usually have many more functions indeed -- they are essentially effects processors. Footpedal multi-effects processors are also pre-amps. Plug your guitar into the pre-amp. Most rack pre-amps only take up one rack space.

* The Power Amp is connected to the pre-amp by a speaker cable. It takes the signal the pre-amp shaped and gives it volume. Like heads, power amps are available in different sizes, from a minimum of 50 watts to monster 200-400W power amps. 100W or larger power amps will take up two rack spaces. The power amp plugs into the speaker cab like on a head. However, as many power amps as you want can be connected in a daisy chain or to different pre-amp outputs to boost the power of the signal, as well as possibly blend the tonal influences of two different power amps.

Disadvantages of Rack Rigs. As you can probably tell, racks are frequently very complicated rigs. A novice guitarrist may find them perplexing. They are also heavier and bulkier than heads -- and add onto that the bulk and heft of the rack itself. Since you need to buy multiple products and accessories, the price for a new rack rig can be (but isn't always) higher than that of a head.

Advantages of Rack Rigs. On the other hand, using a rack allows you to mix and match products by different manufacturers and find a tone that is distinctly "yours," not the boutique design concept of some engineer at Marshall or Fender. And if you have a reasonably good mind for engineering or basic spatial sequencing (i.e. lining things up in order), even complicated digital pre-amps can be surprisingly user-friendly, providing a more easy-to-understand interface than a row of inscrutable knobs on the front of a head or combo. If you are already a DJ, vocalist, or recording artist, or want to become any one of these, many valuable products are availble that can be mounted right on the same rack with your amplifier.

Also, big racks frequently have caster wheels, making them very easy to roll around, and having a rack can also simplify pre-gig or -practise setup. Instead of having to plug in all your components from scratch, your components can already be plugged in and ready to go as soon as you wheel your rack onto the stage or into the studio and remove the front and back panels. A rack-mountable power conditioner (essentially a rack-mounted power strip with surge protection) can be invaluable to this end as most rack units are independently powered -- simply plug all your products into the conditioner, then whenever you arrive at a gig or practice, plug in the one master power cable from the conditioner, plug in your speaker cab and guitar, switch everything on, and you're ready to rock. If you have pedals, microphones, etc, you can usually fit them into the rack as well, making it your all-purpose, highly-portable gig box (provided that it's on wheels).

Finally, racks are uncommon, and will attract attention. People will be impressed if you wheel a rack rig into rehearsal or performance, but beware -- they will expect you to be a seasoned guitarrist, or at least be able to effectively USE your rack. Don't bring your rack anywhere unless you know how to get those pre-amps and processors to do exactly what you want them to do. Such professionals asU2's The Edge and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain have favored rack rigs.

MIDI. Many rack-mounted pre-amps are digital and use MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technology. This allows pre-amp settings to be saved in the pre-amp's digital memory to be recalled again later at the push of a button. These buttons can be on the faceplate of the unit, but MIDI pedalboards can be utilized to access those pre-set channels by stepping on footpedal buttons, to prevent a guitarrist from having to go to his rack and search out the right setting in the dark between each song.

Step 2: Selecting the Right Sound

In order to get the most from a guitar amplifier, you need to understand how different types of amps suit different styles of music. For the most part, amps are not "one size fits all." Although there are all sorts of amps, they can be classified in two broad categories - "vintage" and "high gain."

Vintage amps produce (or reproduce) the classic sounds of early amplifiers. For the jazz, blues, or blues-rock guitarist, the vintage sound is still widely considered the best tone available. Vintage amps can be actual antiques, or they can be modern amps that replicate the sound of antique amps. The sound of Fender, Vox, Marshall, and similar amplifiers from the 50's, 60's and early 70's is the foundation of the vintage tone. When you think "vintage," you think Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Deep Purple, etc. These are the sounds that started it all.

High-gain amps produce a sound with greater distortion than that of vintage amps. Although there is some debate about the evolution of high-gain amps, many believe that a large part of their history is owed to Eddie Van Halen, who took apart his vintage-style Marshall head and played around with the electronics, allowing him to get far more gain (the source of the classic rock/metal distortion sound). With his landmark "Eruption" solo in 1977, Van Halen introduced the roaring, face-melting sound of super high gain to the guitar community. At around the same time, the emergence of heavy metal bands added another dimension to the high-gain phenomena. For hard rock and heavy metal music from the early 80's and beyond, vintage amps are overshadowed by their modern high-gain counterparts.

If you want to play jazz, blues, blues-rock (in the style of Led Zeppelin) or very early heavy metal (in the style of Black Sabbath), a vintage amp may be your best choice. If you want to play hard rock, 80's metal, and "shred" guitar (in the style of the countless 80's "guitar heroes"), you will probably want to go with a high-gain model. Note that many newer amps can provide both high-gain and vintage sounds, although some purists feel that the only vintage amps worth playing are the actual antique amplifiers themselves. "Amp modeling" technnology (which allows one amp to simulate the sound of many different amps) is a relatively recent development which has both fans and critics. If you don't plan to specialize exclusively in vintage-style music, a modeling amp can be very useful, although if you're a purist, nothing beats walking in with a real Fender Twin Reverb, an ancient Marshall "Plexi" head, or something similar.

In the vintage days, all amplifiers used vacuum tubes to accomplish the actual amplification. Nowdays, many amps use transistors instead, sparking a long-standing debate about which is better. The concensus is that for almost all types of music, the sound of tubes is noticeably superior. However, tubes have several drawbacks:

* Tubes can be expensive, depending the tubes used. Expect to replace them after 4 or more years of use, depending on their quality and how loud/often they are used.

* Tubes are somewhat unreliable. They can and do go out at random times, crippling the amp. This can be aleviated by using good quality tubes.

* Tubes (and the associated design factors) add considerable weight to the amplifier. Back problems caused by skinny guitar players lugging around big 2x12 tube combos are an insurance company's nightmare.

* Tube amps are, generally speaking, more pricey than solid-state amps. You will almost certainly pay more for this vintage technology than you will pay for modern solid-state (transistor) electronics. There are tube amps, however, like the Fender Blues Jr., that go for roughly $300; the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (which is an extremely loud, 40 Watt, 1x12 amp), goes for about $550-$600. A Vox AC-30 2x12" reissue, on the other hand, will set you back no less than $1200; and a Marshall head + half stack can be well over $2000.

If you can afford a tube amp, you should strongly consider buying one. In almost all cases, the sound is noticeably better. One possible exception to this is for heavy metal players. Many metal guitarists find that the harsher sound of transistors suits their style of music. Given the reliability, weight, and price advantages of solid-state amps, even the professional-level heavy metal guitarist may not require a tube amp. Pantera's Darrell Abbott used solid-state amps, as do many other notable heavy metal musicians.

Your amp will have two different kinds of tubes -- pre-amp tubes and power-amp tubes (a few combos and heads mix and match between tube and solid-state pre-amps and power amps). Many modern guitarrists have forgotten that the original rock 'n' roll "crunch" or distortion was created when guitarrists like Pete Townsend turned their amps' volume up to 7 or 8, causing the power tubes to overdrive. A pre-amp perameter called "Gain" has been added to most amps to simulate that overdriven distortion. But unless you're into the tinny thrash-metal sound, no artificial gain setting can compare to the sweet, distorted tone of overdriven power tubes turned up to 7. The problem is, most guitarrists, especially new ones, go whole hog for a 100W amp, which cannot be turned up to 7 or 8 in a small club without blowing the doors off. They turn their amps down to four or five, turn the gain up to ten, and never know what they are missing that they could get froma 50W amp turned to 7 with the gain down to 5. Angus Young of AC/DC plays live with both a 100W tube head turned up to 6 for his rhythm parts, and a 50W tube head cranked up to 10 for comparable volume but extra overdrive that he switched to for his solos.

Tips Start a Rock Band

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* Remember, not everyone can be the lead guitarist. But it's important that everyone can be heard.

* Before you do anything else, make sure that every body in the band agrees on the type of music you want to play. Have everybody start by writing down a list of 20 songs that they really like, that represent what THEY would like to do in a band. If you don't have good overlap in style, change members. Do NOT put a band together just from people who are your friends. That won't make anybody happy.

* Practice a lot with low volume, or no amps on at all. Learn the songs FIRST.

* Don't stop at covering songs. After you get used to performing, write your own songs. This can be very simple. On your guitar or piano start thinking of chords or licks you like. Then use lyrics (lyrics don't have to be written by the singer, any good lyrics can be used in a song). Put your lyrics and songs together and make parts for each member of the band that accent how you feel the song should sound. If you can get enough songs about different types of topics that all sound a little different, then you are ready to really be a band.

* For added soundproofing, raise your amplifiers off the floor. An amp placed on a chair will not transmit bass frequencies to your neighbors as much as an amp placed on the floor.

* Rehearsals run more smoothly, and are more productive and fun if band members review the songs on their own before getting together.

* If you hit a trouble spot in a song, don't just ignore it. Discuss what's wrong and how to fix it. This often means playing just that portion of the song a few times until it improves. It's very rewarding to see the progress you'll make.

* Look at each other while you play. The non-verbal communication that occurs helps you to have a tighter sound, and helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. This is especially important at the endings of songs where non-verbal cues can help you end the song cleanly, rather than just letting it fall apart.

* Need a band name? Math and science terms usually make good names - Planck's Constant, The Fibonacci Sequence, etc. Also names that don't really make sense are cool too-Infernal snow, Anti INFO, Diving for Betty. Some sayings are cool-Lame suggestion, No Soliciting, Anti Parking. Or just look around and look for inspiration like "Legal Notepad" or "1960 Exercise Bike." If in doubt, just find the nearest book, go to page 56, second paragraph, line 3, words 5, 6, and 7. That will be your band name. Another method is to go to an online encyclopedia and search a random article and scroll through, at any time in the article stop close your eyes and point at a word select a few words around it, less than 5 words total and that can be a good name.

* You're gonna need to promote yourself. Start by taking pictures with your band in various settings/environments. Staring menacingly, walking down an alley, standing in front of a brick wall, or looking off into the distance.

* Some simple well-known songs that are a good to learn first are Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes, Someday by the Strokes, and any Styx, Aerosmith, AC/DC or Green Day song. Then someday you might be able toplay the real hard songs that take a lot of hard work. These are the kind of songs thatblow the crowds' minds like Jimi did. You will want to cover songs that your audience will be familiar with.

* After you have about five covers, start writing your own music. It will be tricky at first but is definitely worth it!

* If you don't have a P.A. system, consider plugging the mic into a bass amp.

* You can find some good equipment deals at eBay.

* Many music stores can set you up with a starter kit at a very reasonable price or recommend you good quality equipment.

* If some of the band members are in school (high school or college), see if there are any ways to promote your band at your school. For example, a high school talent show is a great way to get people to see your band.

* Talk to your school, college, whatever's music department about using their practice rooms. Often these will be free and have a PA and drumkit.

* It's a good idea to have an outside source come in and listen to you and your band play the song so they can offer suggestions. If you're having problems, sometimes a person listening can identify it more easily than the people who are playing it over and over.

* Try not to have a closed mind about playing different types of music. If you like rock n' roll and another person in your band likes emo, then be willing to at least listen to the song. If it's clearly not what the band is looking for, then find some good reasons (like "It might be a little bit too complicated").

* It might be a good idea to put a small pillow in the bass drum while practicing - it reduces the sound level so the neighbors won't complain.

* Know that you belong in your band. Know that you are able and skilled enough to learn and play the songs that your band chooses to play. Every one of your band memnbers is going to be confident, sometimes more than you're comfortable with, but that's the reason they're going to be successful. Be confident with them, learn and practice your role more than you think that you should, and maybe more. It may seem like a job, and shit.. what if if really becomes yours? Work at it, it's worth it.

* This is the most important tip, a drummer is the hardest band member to find. Make sure that your drummer is dependable and has the required equipment and skills needed for your songs. If you can't find a reliable drummer, try a drum machine.

Why Rock Music Sucks Now

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"Rock music is boring right now," declared and lamented club owner Sam Lanni of Safari Sam's during their "Community Open House Meeting" on Tuesday night.

When the Militant first heard about this event, he was expecting people who lived around the corner to voice their opinions on possible parking, noise and/or littering issues from patrons of the 15-month old East Hollywood nightspot. Surely a new club inviting the community to speak out about whether they're a good neighbor or not is worth talking about.

Whether intentional or not, the event was totally different in nature and was more of a discussion on the state of the music industry, more specifically the live music scene in Los Angeles circa 2007. Either way, the Militant was interested.

Lanni complained about uninspired, homogenous "shoegazer" bands performing their droll repertoire to a thinned-out crowd who just stands there, meagerly clapping between songs, and worse, crowds only present for the 45 or so minutes the band they intended to see is onstage. When the set is over, they leave.

More than a few in the 30-or-so, almost exclusively white crowd (aside from the Militant, the only ethnic faces were those representing the local neighborhood council at their outreach table. And when the people from the "community" look more white than the people from the neighborhood council, something's not quite right...) chimed in, in accord, "That's an L.A. thing," Of course, insinuating that every person in Los Angeles, including the guy who sells oranges by the 101 offramp, is shallow, flaky and self-absorbed. Uh, okay. Though one woman, bless her soul, muttered, "That's how it is in Chicago, too..." but it's likely no one heard what she said, or wanted to recognize that such words were uttered.

But Lanni mentioned that his old-school country (not contemporary Nashville country, he stressed) shows don't exhibit those same traits as his rock shows -- the bands support each other and watch each other's sets, and the crowd has a great time. "I don't want to have to make this a country music club," he quipped.

One veteran in the crowd, however, recalled that back in the '80s, in the era of the most "L.A." of all "L.A. rock scenes" -- The '80s glam/hair metal era -- bands would support each other and watched each other's shows. He mentioned how a person going to, say, a Poison show back in the say, could easily spot members of Ratt or Motley Crue in the crowd. The camaraderie, he mentioned, is lost these days.

Of course, these days, the crowd agreed, there are a plethora of clubs in the scene, catering to an overabundance of bands.

The Militant blames it all on the indie rock thing. Maybe he's getting old, but he just doesn't get it. So a hipster can strap a battered Fender Mustang knockoff guitar around his neck and strum on a couple chords. What is driving him to do such an activity? Boredom? Conformity? Whatever it is, it's certainly not the same stuff that drove alienated young Britons in the '70s to make punk, nor is it anything close to what inspired African American youths in the West Bronx to create this music/movement/culture called hip-hop.

The Militant knows there are lots of scenes and sub-scenes, genres and sub-genres never discovered by the mainstream club scene, or even the "mainstream underground" club scene. Latino punk bands from South Los Angeles? Korean-American hip-hop events? (but oh, many of you have seen this one) many laugh because such notions are way out of their mainstream paradigms, and most of all don't fit the mainstream's ethnic-stereotyped compartments. But if one wants to look at art borne out of alienation and disenfranchisement, there's lots from our ethnic communities. They're more underground than "the underground," which is determined by tastemakers far removed (in so many ways) from the living, breathing multiculture of the ignored, the disregarded, the invisible. The Militant has seen (and may have even participated in) these beyond-underground scenes. Though the level of talent ranges from novice to the OMG, there is a definite drive and purpose to their artistry. The unfortunate thing is, they "preach to the choir" and are largely celebrated only within their own enclaves. Unfortunate, because they have incredible potential to educate others about their own cultures, yet in most cases that has not yet come to their realization.

But as clubs, promoters and the like either lament the lack of creativity or originality, or merely perpetuate it, something is going on outside their windows that they might really be into...as long as they recognize it's there.

Commandeered by Militant Angeleno