This population-based case-control study was conducted in three countries in western Washington State to evaluate associations between workplace exposures and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Cases (n = 174) were all newly diagnosed with ALS by neurologists during 1990-1994, and controls (n = 348), who were matched according to age (+/-5 years) and sex, were identified via random-digit dialing or Medicare enrollment files. Four industrial hygienists blindly assessed detailed lifetime job histories for exposures to metals, solvents, and agricultural chemicals. Case-control comparisons were made for jobs held between 15 years of age and 10 years prior to the cases' dates of diagnosis. After adjustment for age and education, ever exposure to agricultural chemicals was associated with ALS (odds ratio (OR) = 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-3.5); this association was observed separately in men (OR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.8) but not in women (OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.2-3.8). Among men, the odds ratio for low exposure to agricultural chemicals (below the median level for exposed controls) relative to no exposure was 1.5 (95% CI 0.4-5.3), and for high exposure, it was 2.8 (95% CI 1.3-6.1) (p for trend = 0.03). Similar analyses based on the panel's assessment of exposures to metals and solvents showed no associations. These findings suggest an association between ALS and agricultural chemicals in men.

This paper compares the travel behaviour and attitudes of two different nationalities of undergraduate students from the United Kingdom and China. The survey did fi nd some similarities between the two. Both groups enjoyed beach holidays, and placed importance on having fun and relaxing after their studies. Both were motivated to discover somewhere new and both preferred to eat the local food of the destination. In other ways, the two groups showed signifi cant differences. The Chinese students thought it more important to see the famous sights and learn about other cultures and history, while the British were more concerned to have fun, to socialise and enjoy the challenges of outdoor adventure. These differences were found to exist in both male and female groups. The paper discusses the extent to which these differences could be explained by cultural factors as opposed to market factors or the students' previous experience in their travel career.

This article explores the nature of extraordinary experiences through a netnographic analysis of the views of committed attendees at the 2005 Sidmouth Folk Festival. After uncertainty over finance and the withdrawal of the previous event management company, the festival eventually went ahead under a different, collaborative organization and on a reduced scale. The new format was vigorously debated by posters to an Internet message board, Mudcat Cafe, providing a wide-ranging and unprompted set of opinions on the criteria for a successful festival. To provide a framework for analyzing these responses, a holistic prism model was developed from the literature to bring together the main external and internal elements of the festival experience: "Design and Programming," "Physical Organization," "Social Interaction," "Personal Benefits," "Symbolic Meanings," and "Cultural Communication." This was used to analyze the messages and explore the way in which festival-goers evaluate their experience. The findings support the view that festivals provide a space and time away from everyday life in which intense extraordinary experiences can be created and shared. These are evaluated through a subjective response to the whole event, interpreted within the broader narrative context of the consumer's life and their values.

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