Fairmount CA

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 27, 2011 — First of Torontos Former Fleet Set for Refurbishment, Delivery

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The first of hundreds of Toronto subway cars that will furnish a new surface rail line in Lagos, Nigeria, has left Canada for the last time, and is now en route to Africas largest city.

A Nigerian company, Eko Rail, has agreed to purchase 255 of the Toronto Transit Commissions (TTC) best-equipped subway cars for use in a much-needed Lagos Blue Line mass transit system. The TTC is in the process of purchasing larger Rocket trains to increase passenger capacity on their lines.

As the electric-powered cars become surplus and are pulled offline in Toronto, they will be individually trucked to the United States for a rebuilding by a team of world-class rail engineers. The cars will also undergo track-width (or gauge) conversion and interior refurbishment before being shipped to Lagos.

The trains have been inspected by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who endorsed the plan to purchase them following his official visit to Toronto in May 2011.

The shipment of the first car is an important step in Eko Rails efforts to support the Governors transformation agenda for the city, said David Potter, Eko Rails Chief Engineer. Ultimately, the Blue Line, with this modernized fleet, will bring massive benefits to Lagos economic development and improve Lagosians quality of life.

Each of the TTC cars come equipped with air conditioning, automatic sliding doors, solid-state traction control, energy saving regenerative braking, and a wide range of modern safety features and amenities. Once equipped with a state-of-the-art, GPS-based train control system made by General Electric, Eko Rails trains will provide faster, safer, cheaper and more reliable transportation for Lagosians.

Eko Rail is entering into an innovative public-private partnership with the government of Lagos State to equip, operate and maintain the Blue Line for 25 years. Negotiations are being finalized and a concession agreement is expected to be signed in the near future. #xA0;Lagos State has already started to make significant progress with building the rail tracks and stations. Eko Rail is utilizing URS Scott Wilson, one of the worlds leading railway infrastructure consultancies, to ensure that the infrastructure is built to global standards. #xA0;

With financing led by Investec Plc, financiers of more than 25 rail projects around the globe, Eko Rail expects to invest about $400 million to equip the Lagos Blue Line, including construction of a dual-fuel electric power generating station, modern train control system, communications and power distribution, as well as depot and maintenance facilities. When the entire line is operational, Eko Rail expects to attract at least 300,000 passengers per day, with trains running every 5 minutes.

The Eko Rail consortium #x2013; led by Nigerian-based emerging markets investment firm Verod Capital #x2013; brings together a world-class team of manufacturers, technical advisors, metro operators and public private partnership experts from the UK, Canada and South Africa.

SOURCE Eko Rail

Copper prices staged a modest recovery on Monday, gaining 4.4 percent on the COMEX and 4.1 percent on the LME, as investors digested last week’s slide as an opportunity to bargain hunt. On Tuesday, the red metal posted more gains, tracing the upward momentum in equities, over positive sentiment that the Eurozone would take the necessary steps to avert a financial disaster.

Last week, the metal plunged to a 14-month low, as struggles in the Eurozone and a bleak outlook for the United States dampened demand prospects for the industrial metal. According to data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, last week speculators were the most bearish on copper since July 2009, as managed-money funds held net-short positions in copper futures and options. The data showed that speculators’ wagers on falling COMEX copper prices totaled 6,672 futures and options contracts as of Sept. 20.

On Monday, the reentry of investors back into the copper market was largely attributed to bargain hunting. “It would seem that the fall in prices over the past few days is now regarded as excessive,” said Daniel Briesemann, an analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt, said in a report. “The low price levels are being viewed as attractive buying opportunities.”

Margin increase

Last Friday, the CME Group announced that it would increase the collateral requirements to trade benchmark copper by 18 percent. The change, which went into effect at the close of trading on Monday, requires that speculative investors post $6,750 to open a contract and $5,000 to hold it overnight.  Analysts claim that the margin increase did not have a large impact on the market. Any differences between COMEX copper prices and benchmarks for the metal traded on other exchanges are typically closed quickly by traders looking for an opportunity to profit, and, on Monday, the market did not witness an unusual level of activity. At the same time that the group announced that it would increase the collateral requirements to trade copper, it also announced that it would hike the requirements to trade gold and silver.

Supply disruptions

Perhaps the one bright side of the struggling copper market is the fact that the rash of supply disruptions that have plagued copper suppliers this year have failed to impact prices. In the summer, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) announced the amount of lost copper supply due to these disruptions would exceed estimates. When investment firms make their predictions for the copper supply/demand balance, and prices, they generally “bake in” a certain amount of metal production that will be lost, due to various supply disruptions. Greater-than-expected losses can contribute to upswings in the price of the metal; however, so far this year the copper market is reacting more strongly to signals of declining demand, and ignoring the supply disruptions. Analysts are still cautious, warning that if labour disputes drag on for too long, copper prices could spike.

That being said, labour disputes are continuing at Freeport-McMoRan Copper amp; Gold Inc.’s (NYSE:FCX) Grasberg Mine in Indonesia. Workers recently announced that they are planning to stage a rally on Sept 29^th, after last week’s government-brokered talks between the company and the union broke down. Approximately half of the 8,000 non-staff workers at Grasberg have walked off the job since Sept. 15, demanding pay more in line with what Freeport pays its workers, on average, around the globe. “We have conducted a peaceful stoppage in the 12 days of strike, but the management doesn’t appreciate that and has declared that our activity is illegal,” claimed Virgo Solossa head of organizational affairs at Freeport Indonesia’s labor union. “We want to show that we remain solid and will question the ‘no work no pay’ note from management as well as sanctions against several strikers, to the manpower office in the rally.” Freeport maintains that it will uphold its legal right not to pay employees on a day where workers do not report to work.

Another supply disruption hit the copper market over the weekend, when a massive power blackout paralyzed mining operations in top copper producer Chile. The blackout, which lasted for around 2 hours, resulted in smelting operations at various Chilean mines grinding to a halt. Copper producer Anglo American (LON:AAL) said operations at its Los Bronces mine were halted by the blackout and state-run Codelco said its Andina division was shut down. The outage exposed the fragility of the power supply infrastructure, which is being blamed on Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. Critics claim that Pinera has not been investing enough money into upgrading the country’s infrastructure.

Securities Disclosure: I, Leia Toovey, hold equity interests in Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Touching visual journey airs Thursday on PBS

MERIDIAN, Sep 27, 2011 (The Meridian Star – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) –
Diagnosed at age 48 with a potentially deadly form of lymphoma, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and University of Florida Professor John Kaplan turned the lens on himself to document his treatment.

Kaplans new film, Not As I Pictured is now showing on PBS stations nationwide. Mississippi Public Broadcast will air the documentary on the Meridian PBS affiliate station WMAW-TV on Thursday at 9 pm

I was not emotionally prepared for this experience, Kaplan said in a telephone interview. Originally the process was a means for Kaplan to deal with fear. Eventually he believed that the work he was doing could help other families.

I wanted to give people a little nugget of courage, Kaplan said. So many cancers today are not only treatable but beatable. The purpose of the film is to convey hope and inspiration.

Kaplan still wonders if he would have been able to finish the film if the news he received hadnt been good. He wondered if he would be alive to see his kids grow up, and ultimately realized I have to replace fear with belief and the sheer will to fight.

Kaplan is giving away more than 10,000 free copies of Not As I Pictured at the films website, www.NotAsIPictured.org.

Not As I Pictured and its companion short film, Pulitzer Pride, have appeared in numerous film festivals, and have won 20 awards and nominations including two CINE Golden Eagle Awards, and several Best Documentary honors.

A 16-page booklet from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) accompanies the DVD, targeting the emotional side of cancer with coping and lifestyle tips for patients, caregivers and survivors.

Moved by the films content, leading musicians donated music for the Not As I Pictured soundtrack, including Michael Stipe (REM.), Chris Martin (Coldplay), David Bowie, william (Black Eyed Peas), Justin Timberlake, Pantera and Cowboy Junkies. Their contributions helped the film win Best Soundtrack at the 2010 Maverick Movie Awards, and the ADDY Best of Show for Public Service.

Kaplans journal covers about two and a-half years of ongoing treatment. One of Americas most accomplished photographers, he has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, POY National Newspaper Photographer of the Year, the Overseas Press Club Award, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, and the Nikon Documentary Sabbatical Grant.

He has been featured on the PBS program, Now, on CNN, and on NPRs All Things Considered.

Kaplans project on survivors of torture in West Africa was awarded the Overseas Press Club Award for Feature Photography and the Harry Chapin Media Award. The United Nations used Kaplans work to help facilitate contact with the victims.

His work is exhibited at museums and galleries worldwide including recent solo exhibitions in the United States, Peru, Bolivia and Korea as well as shows in China, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Korea, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

A full professor at the University of Florida where he has been named International Educator of the Year, Kaplan is a Fulbright Scholar and has twice been selected as a Pulitzer Prizes juror. He is the author of two books, Photo Portfolio Success and Mom and Me.

___ (c)2011 The Meridian Star (Meridian, Miss.) Visit The Meridian Star
(Meridian, Miss.) at meridianstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

Copyright (C) 2011, The Meridian Star, Miss.

A flare-up of disease and recent tropical storms that might impact deer hunting in other parts of the state seems to have left Somerset County in the clear, officials reported.

The fall hunting season is looking good with healthy deer populations in the region despite finding animals with epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in Erie and Northampton counties and chronic wasting disease (CWD) just over the Somerset County border in Maryland, Pennsylvania Game Commission Spokesman Jerry Feaser said.

Were monitoring the situation closely, but as of right now, were not seeing a significant impact on the population, he said. The biggest challenge to hunters this year will be the impact of the storms and gas drilling on site access.

Scouting and planning are going to be synonymous with successful hunting this year, he said.

Feaser urged hunters with camps located in the eastern part of the state to check with local officials before traveling to their site. Access roads could be in disrepair from the storms or deer populations might be shifting in response to drilling operations that have increased significantly in the last year, he said.

Locally, there has been little impact on camp access or deer herd health, said Brian Witherite, a local wildlife conservation officer.

Everybodys weathered the storm without any problems. The deer population is very stable and increasing. Were actually offering excellent hunting on a number of levels, he said.

While disease has not been reported in area herds, the commission is asking hunters to keep an eye out for animals that might be sick. Residents are encouraged to call their respective Game Commission region office to report dead or sick deer.

EHD is a common but sporadic disease in white-tailed deer populations and is contracted by the bite of insects called biting midges.

Northern deer population are more susceptible to severe impacts from the disease because they are rarely exposed to it, Feaser said.

The virus usually kills the deer within five to 10 days and is not spread by contact.

Humans can not catch EHD, but eating meat from a diseased animal is not recommended because of the potential for bacterial infection.

The games commission confirmed EHD in Erie County from a sample taken from a wild deer on Aug. 13 and from a captive deer in Northampton County on Aug. 18. I think were looking at fewer than 50 animals altogether, Feaser said.

Reports of dead or dying deer are important to us, said Doug Killough, Game Commission Southeast Region Office director. Though an actual count of afflicted deer is impossible to obtain, because of rapid decomposition and the area where the outbreak is occurring, we still value these reports. Also, tissue samples must be extracted within 24 hours of death to be suitable for conducting tests. That is why it is so important that we hear from residents as soon as possible after they find a suspect deer.

Hunters are also encouraged to wear rubber or latex gloves when handling or dressing animals, Feaser said.

EHD symptoms are similar to those of CWD with affected deer exhibiting signs of excessive drooling, weakness and a loss of fear of humans.

CWD is caused by an accumulation of prions in the brain and leads to death by chronic weight loss. With Maryland recently reporting an outbreak of the disease, monitoring has been increased by the game commission, Feaser said.

We are testing all roadkill that we find in the border area of the outbreak. Because its close, we know that its not a matter of if, its a matter of when, he said.

Scientists have not found a definite cause for the spread of the disease, but believe that it can be transmitted through grass growing in soil contaminated soil or the saliva of an infected deer, according to the commissions website.

The game commission is also actively discouraging the public from feeding groups of deer on their property as congregating the animals could increase the likelihood of transmitting the diseases.

For more information, visit www.pgc.state.pa.us online.

Well, here we are folks, at the end of our first hunting season. Somewhere we should have a teal season. Since the powers-to-be have read somewhere that lead shot is far worse on ducks than steel shot, and the limit system (way of knowing when to stop shooting) is now the way it is, I have just about quit duck hunting.

New point: Have you ever watched an outdoor show on TV and realized they are puttin the hurt on Canada geese (Montana) and we are allowed only one, I think? Looks to me like whats good for the goose (should be) is good for the gander. Go figger!

As we bear down on October, fall and this years hunting seasons, lets reflect a little bit. What is hunting? Hunting: 1) to set out to kill wild animals or birds for food or sport; 2) to try to find, search for; 3) a group of people hunting together.

Just what is hunting (or fishing)? Well folks, its lots of things. Money for one. Hunting keeps billions of dollars in circulation annually across our nation. One year while hunting somewhere out west, we stopped at a motel in Colorado. While going through the formalities of getting a room, I asked the owner what made up his clientele. Hunters, skiers and summer tourists. When any one of these groups is not in season, we virtually close up, was his reply. Its hard to look around (especially this time of year) and not see a dollar directly related to hunting going up and down the road. Four-wheel drive pickups, ATVs of all descriptions, tree stands that defy description, clothing and footwear, camps and camping supplies, firearms, scopes, slings, aluminum carrying cases and many other hunting articles.

Ol Ruff has me looking like a telephone man as I walk out the camp door: mini-mag light in one holster, Buck knife in another and a Bucktool in another. Near gotta have suspenders to hold my britches up.

Money everywhere: gas for ATV, gas for pickup, bread, paper towels, flour, soap, drinks, things that are replenished almost weekly; electric bill for camp. Lots of money. Its why many states publish so many articles in so many places: If we go there, we will spend our money there. Another strange dollar in a local economy.

Last week two game farms in Lycoming county were heavily damaged by the September floods.
Now the game commission says hunters will see fewer pheasants this season.

So many pheasants were lost during the flooding. Some were killed, thousands more are roaming the area around the game farms north of Montoursville.

That means the number of birds originally meant for hunting season will be much smaller.

Plenty of ring-necked pheasants are roaming around the Loyalsock Game Farm. They are some of the thousands that escaped when the Loyalsock Creek tore through the farm earlier this month.

According to the game commission, a good number of pheasants have been rounded up, but that still leaves the upcoming hunting season with about 30,000 fewer than planned.

We regret not being able to stock pheasants for the popular late season, but the large number of hens lost at the Loyalsock Farm, coupled with the need for an increased number of hens for full production for next year, left us no choice, said commission director Carl Roe.

Due to the sheer amount of damage and loss of thousands of pheasants at both game farms in Lycoming County, the game commission said during the upcoming hunting season, hunters can expect at minimum 73,000 pheasants stocked, compared to next year their hope is for 200,000. Certainly a significant loss for this hunting season alone.

Thats not very good for the hunters that do go, because usually after the first couple hours up there theyre spooked and in the thick stuff after that, so if theres not going to be as many, theres probably going to be a lot of disappointed hunters up there, said Larry Young of Watsontown.

Hunters who spoke to Newswatch 16 worry about the season ahead, saying there are not a lot of wild pheasants to begin with and the stocked ones are usually a hunters best bet.

Theres going to be a lot of people disappointed opening day because theres not going to be the pheasants, the stocked pheasants, because of all the ones killed in the flood, said Michael Cooper of Morrisville.

The pheasants are expected to be stocked next month throughout much of the state.

Wilderness Unlimited, a premier hunting and fishing organization in California and Oregon, participated in a fishing activity organized by The Janet Pomeroy Center.

Hayward, CA (PRWEB) September 27, 2011

More than 45 children, teens and adults with disabilities participated in Respite Fishing Day. The activity was organized by The Janet Pomeroy Center, an organization that provides recreational, vocational and educational opportunities for people with disabilities. Wilderness Unlimited outdoor hunting based in California and Oregon provided the participants with the opportunity to experience and enjoy fishing in San Francisco.

Wilderness Unlimited has become known as the West Coasts premier hunting and fishing club. Its primary purpose is to manage recreational properties and the wildlife available while providing recreational opportunities in a safe environment. From managing only three ranches, it has grown to become the largest manager and provider of big game, water fowl, upland and fishing on the west coast.

Wilderness Unlimited reviews and plans each ranchs activity on a regular basis. They also lead and plan habitat work and consult on agriculture so a balance beneficial to wildlife can be realized. Within the club is an extensive patrol program and membership oversight network that insures wildlife and ranch feedback as well as a safe environment.

For more information about Wilderness Unlimited, call 855-209-3163 or visit them online at www.wildernessunlimited-california.com. Wilderness Unlimited is located at 22425 Meekland Ave., Hayward, CA 94541.

About Wilderness Unlimited

Founded in the 1980s, Wilderness Unlimited has become known as a premier hunting and fishing club in California and Oregon. Its primary purpose is to access and manage property and the wildlife available while providing recreational opportunities in a safe environment. It offers a hunting game such as deer, wild boar, elk and bear on their hunting land. It also offers spin and fly fishing, primitive, tent and RV camping, and lodging in its many ranches.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweboutdoor-hunting/california-oregon/prweb8830516.htm

From Germany to North Carolina, to St. Johns University in New York City and being the first artist signed to Jay-Zs RocNation, Jermaine Lamarr Cole has come such a long way, and his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story drops today!

His story is just beginning, but lets take a look at J.Colesjourney to Cole World.

EXCLUSIVE: J.Cole Gives Us The 411 On His New Album

His first mixtape, The Come Up, perfectly titled, was about his college experiences filled with energy and showed off his raw side.

One of the tracks, Lights Please caught the attention of his mentor, Jay-Z, and led to him to becoming to first artist signed to Jays RocNation.

He then released his second mixtape,The Warm Up, on June 15, 2009 to critical acclaim, his warm up for the rap game professionally.

He appeared onJay-Zs albumThe Blueprint 3 later that yearon the track A Star Is Born and bothWalesAttention Deficitand Back to the Feature albums.

J.Coles collabos continued in 2010 when he joined forces with label mateJay ElectronicaandMos DefonTalib KweliandHi-Teks track, Just Begun,BoB on his songGladiators,Young Chris on his song Still the Hottest and Miguels smash hitdebut single All I Want Is You.

In June of 2010, he premiered the music video to Work Out onBETs106 amp; Park.

On October 30th 2010, J.Coles Im Coming Home, which was a reference track for Diddy, was leaked and became the hit song Coming Home off Last Train To Paris.

NEW VIDEO: J.Cole Daddys Little Girl

On November 12, 2010, J. Cole released and produced his third mixtape,Friday Night Lights, whichincluded features fromDrake andWale.

He was Drakes supporting act on the Light Dreams and Nightmares UK Tour in January 2011 and also opened forRihannaon the North American/Caribbean leg of her Loud Tourfrom June 2011 toAugust 2011.

On June 21st, 2011, he took to Twitter to confirm that the release date for his album would be September 27, 2011 and that the title wasCole World: The Sideline Story.

Find out detail by detail J.Coles journey to Cole World: The Sideline Story in the accompanying gallery!

LIBBY – The man who was killed by a grizzly bear on Friday has been identified as a 39-year-old from Nevada.

The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office in Libby received a call from the Boundary County Sheriffs Office in Bonners Ferry, Idaho on Friday just after 11 am, notifying them of a reported grizzly bear attack in the Buckhorn Mountain area along the Northern Montana/Idaho state line.

Multiple agencies responded, including the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, Montana
Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks, US Forest Service, David Thompson Search and Rescue and multiple Idaho agencies.

A hunting party from Winnemucca, Nevada, consisting of four adults, had entered the Buckhorn Mountain hunting area from the Idaho side of the Montana/Idaho state line, and subsequently split into pairs.

One pair of hunters, Steve Stevenson, age 39, and Ty Bell, age 20, encountered a bear that they misidentified as a black bear. Bell shot and wounded the bear, but the animal was actually a young boar grizzly bear.

They tracked the bear into an area of heavy cover where Mr. Stevenson was attacked by the wounded grizzly bear. Bell was able to shoot the bear multiple times, eventually killing it. However, Stevenson died from wounds suffered during the attack.

Bell was able to call for help using his cell phone and stayed at the scene until authorities arrived. GPS coordinates placed the incident directly on the Montana/Idaho state line.

Stevensons body was transported out of the area by helicopter and will be taken to a lab in Montana for an autopsy. The bear carcass was also removed by helicopter and will be transported by Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to a laboratory in Bozeman so a necropsy can be performed.

There are multiple reports of additional grizzly bears in the area and hunters are advised to use caution. The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and
Parks will continue a joint investigation into the incident.

By Tom Barkley, Kristina Peterson and Jeffrey Sparshott

US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Friday he hopes the Senate will move quickly on legislation to renew funding for workers displaced by trade, as discussions intensified to take up the bill at the beginning of next week.

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said he expects the Senate on Monday will to begin debating a bill the House passed last week to renew duty-free access for imports from developing countries, with plans to attach the funding for the job retraining program known as Trade Adjustment Assistance.

We believe we will begin consideration of the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill on Monday, Mr. Reid told reporters on the Hill.

Senate approval of scaled-back funding for Trade Adjustment Assistance would be a major step forward toward passage of free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. President Barack Obama has insisted that the retraining program be renewed alongside the trade agreements.

I know the leadership is still working on a plan to move it forward, so we remain hopeful, Mr. Kirk told reporters after meeting with economic officials from Central Asian countries.

Both parties have cited progress this week in resolving differences over how Congress will handle the trade pacts and job retraining programs to ensure everything is passed.

A Democratic aide told Dow Jones Newswires earlier in the week that the expectation now is for the trade deals to be submitted only after passage of the retraining program is approved, while stressing that no concrete deal on the process has been reached. The Republican-controlled House would hold off on sending the bill renewing funds for job retraining and duty-free imports until after the agreements win final approval, the aide said.

The president is then expected to submit the trade pacts for an up-or-down vote in the House and Senate, according to the aide.