A 13 year old Croatian girl who was in a coma for 24 hours awoke and was able to communicate in fluent German, but  not in Croatian . Her parents said she has been studying German but cannot understand how she can speak it as fluently as she does. Doctors are baffled.

Source: boingboing -NYDaily News

The post Waking from a 24 Hour Coma has Croatian Girl Speaking Fluent German Not Croatian first appeared on River View Observer.

 JERSEY CITY, N.J. – New Jersey has the distinction of having the highest autism rate in the country, and while awareness of autism spectrum disorders is growing, it is happening very slowly.

To provide area residents with more information on autism spectrum disorders, and to raise funds for New Jersey’s largest non-profit autism network, Hudson County Community College’s Beta Alpha Phi chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society will hold a luncheon, “Raise Your Fork Against Autism,” on Saturday, April 24 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held in the College’s Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street – just two blocks from the Journal Square PATH Station in Jersey City. Tickets for the event are available at $45 each – $23 of which is tax deductible. (Checks should be made payable to the Hudson County Community College Foundation.)

The keynote speaker at the event will be Salim Bendaoud, a professor of Life Sciences at HCCC who  holds a master’s degree in neurosciences – with an emphasis on mental disabilities such as autism – from the State University of New York. Professor Bendaoud is personally acquainted with Autism Spectrum Disorders as he is the father of an autistic child.

Beta Alpha Phi Advisor and HCCC Professor Dr. Lloyd Kahn said that autism, Asperger’s Disorder and PDDNOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) are commonly referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). According to a 2007 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the average prevalence rate for ASD in the U.S. was one in every 152 children, the prevalence rate in New Jersey was one in every 94 children. ASD generally manifests itself in children and adults in atypical, repetitive behaviors and in problems with social and communications skills. ASD is usually diagnosed between the ages of one and three years, and is four to five times more prevalent in boys than girls. ASD does not discriminate – it crosses all racial, ethnic and social boundaries.

Beta Alpha Phi chose Autism New Jersey, Inc. as the luncheon’s beneficiary as it is the largest statewide network of professionals and parents devoted to improving the lives of people with autism and providing assistance to their families. The organization, which was founded in 1965 and officially incorporated in 1967, provides several services, including a toll-free information and referral line, educational workshops and support groups, professional resources for teachers and other educators, assistance with advocacy and legal rights, and awareness building and community outreach partnerships.

“While much has been done to promote awareness and understanding of ASD, there is still much more that needs to be done. We applaud Professor Kahn and the members of Beta Alpha Phi for undertaking this initiative, and we hope the community will join us at the luncheon on April 24,” said HCCC President Dr. Glen Gabert.

For more information on Beta Alpha Phi’s “Raise Your Fork Against Autism Luncheon” and to secure tickets, please contact the Hudson County Community College Foundation office at (201) 360-4006 or email Dr. Lloyd Kahn at lkahn@hccc.edu.

The post Hudson County Community College Beta Alpha Phi Honor Society Holding Autism Awareness Fundraiser first appeared on River View Observer.

On April 1, the exhibit will open at Jersey City’s Liberty Science Center, named one of the 10 best science centers in the country by Parents Magazine. Following its stop at the Center, the exhibit will embark on a nationwide tour from 2010 to 2012.

Location:        Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park
222 Jersey City Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ  07305

The post Liberty Science Center to Unveil Interactive Diabetes Exhibit first appeared on River View Observer.

Mayor Mark A. Smith and Police Chief Robert Kubert announced that the Bayonne Police Department arrested two men on marijuana charges on January 26 after discovering them at 65 New Hook Road. The men arrested were Gordon T. Peters, 42, of Miramar, Florida, and Jason L. Peters, 21, of Miami, Florida. They were charged with possession of over 25 pounds of marijuana, and possession of marijuana within 500 feet of a public walkway. The approximate weight of the marijuana seized by the police was 595 pounds, which has an estimated street value of $2 million. According to Chief Kubert and Mayor Smith, as measured by pounds, this is apparently the largest seizure of marijuana in the history of the Bayonne Police Department.

Police Officers Samuel Garcia and Domenico Colabraro were on a routine patrol on the East Side of Bayonne at around 10:30 p.m. From working the area regularly, the officers noticed that the gate at 65 New Hook Road which is normally closed, was open. They entered the lot at that location to conduct a check of the area, where there have been some recent burglaries involving tractor-trailers. As they searched, the officers came across a white tractor-trailer with South Carolina plates. They noticed a gray minivan backed up to the trailer, and that the minivan’s hatchback was open. They observed a beam of light on the ground towards the rear of the trailer.

Believing that a burglary was taking place, Officers Garcia and Colabraro requested additional police units to respond to the scene. As they approached the rear of the trailer, the officers heard a drilling noise coming from inside the trailer. When they got to the back of the trailer, they observed a male, later identified as Gordon Peters, standing up inside the trailer. The officers reported seeing him holding a large, cube-shaped object in his hand while wearing a miner’s light on his head. The police ordered Gordon Peters out of the trailer, but he did not comply. According to the incident report, Gordon Peters threw the cube to the ground and tried to move towards the rear of the trailer. At the same time, Officers Frank Calabrese and Kyle Davis arrived on the scene as back-up. Calabrese and Davis observed another male, later identified as Jason Peters, trying to duck down in the cab of the tractor. Officer Davis ordered Jason Peters to move out of the truck.

Then Officers Garcia, Colabraro, and Calbrese entered the trailer portion of the truck and detained Gordon Peters. Upon entering the trailer, the officers smelled raw marijuana emanating from the inside. Officer Colabraro noticed that the cube that Gordon Peters had dropped to the ground was cut open on one side. When the officers examined the cut cube more closely, they saw green vegetation, suspected marijuana, coming out of the cube’s opening. At this time, the officers arrested both Gordon and Jason Peters.

While Gordon Peters was being escorted out of the trailer, Officer Calabrese noticed a large wooden crate that had numerous identical cubes and bundles inside of it. Lieutenants Eric Deitrich and Jeremy Sullivan, and Sergeants Joseph Spiers and William Nide arrived on the scene, and authorized the impounds of the tractor, trailer, and minivan, pending the application of search warrants. Both vehicles were removed by Dente Towing to the police central garage. The light Gordon Peters was wearing, a knife with marijuana residue, which was in his pocket, and a cordless drill were all placed into evidence, along with the initial cube of marijuana. The police confiscated $581 from Gordon Peters and $519 from Jason Peters as suspected drug proceeds.

Municipal Judge Cheryl Scott Cashman issued search warrants to Sgt. Spiers for both vehicles. Lt. Sullivan and Sgt. Spiers responded to the central garage, where Officers Garcia and Colabraro assisted them in the search of both vehicles. From the rear trailer, they recovered 31 bundles of marijuana. The bundles were marked with different weights on each of them. From inside the tractor, Sgt. Spiers recovered $3,000, which was confiscated as suspected drug proceeds. A search of the minivan turned up no additional contraband.

On January 27, Judge Cashman set bail at $250,000 for each Mr. Peters, with no 10% option.

Mayor Mark A. Smith said, “This case proves the importance of police patrols in fighting crime. I would like to thank Officers Colabraro and Garcia for their smart and careful police work. I would like to commend all of the officers who came to their aid in arresting the two men and uncovering the evidence.”

Chief Kubert said, “I would like to thank all of the officers who responded to the scene. I would like especially to commend Officers Garcia and Colabraro for their attention to detail while on patrol. It was their observation of the open gate at 65 New Hook Road that led to the discovery of the two men and their contraband.”

The post Bayonne Police Arrest Men With 595 Pounds of Marijuana first appeared on River View Observer.