The tale that follows is not another clichéd collection of rock'n'roll debaucheries (sorry) nor is it another tired fable of triumph over adversity (you're welcome).It's the story of a half-deaf kid from a tiny, remote village in South Wales who was hailed as a genius by the UK's biggest radio station and headhunted by major record labels, only for the music industry to collapse. It crashed hard, taking with it an entire generation of talented artists who would never now get their shot. CNN called it &‘music's lost decade'.Along the way, there are goodies, baddies, gun-toting label execs, life-saving surgeons, therapy, true love, loyalty, hope, breakdowns, suicidal managers, betrayal, drummers and way too many hangovers. James Kennedy shows that the best lessons are to be learned from good losers. It really is all about the journey.Part memoir, part exposé of the music world's murky underbelly, Noise Damage is emotional, painfully honest, funny, informative and ridiculous. It's also a celebration of the life-changing magic of music.

Exposure to loud noise continues to be the largest cause of hearing loss in the adult population. The problem of NIHL impacts a number of disciplines. US standards for permissible noise exposure were originally published in 1968 and remain largely unchanged today. Indeed, permissible noise exposure for US personnel is significantly greater than that allowed in numerous other countries, including for example, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico, and the European Union. However, there have been a number of discoveries and advances that have increased our understanding of the mechanisms of NIHL. These advances have the potential to impact how NIHL can be prevented and how our noise standards can be made more appropriate.

In September 1985, NATO sponsored an Advanced Study WOl'kshop entitled, "Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: Basic and Applied Aspects." Tne meeting was held in a mountain retreat near Lucca, Italy and was attended by scientists, clinicians, and public officials from 12 countries. This was the third in a series of such conferences organized by the authors. The first two were supported by the United States National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health; their proceedings were published as "The Effects of Noise on Hearing" in 1976 and "New Perspectives on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss" in 1982. The Organizing Committee approached NATO because it was felt that the problem of noise was common to all industrialized countries and was an especially serious problem for the military. Thus, the NATO sponsorship and the Italian site of the meeting were part of the Organizing Committee's plan to obtain an international and thorough repr'esentation on the problem of noise-induced hearing loss. The NATO meeting and proceedings followed the format of the previous two symposia with an initial focus on the anatomical and physiological disturbances resulting from noise-induced hearing loss. This was followed by sections devoted to studies of a more applied nature involving general auditory performance in noise, issues associated with the establishment of noise-exposure criteria, nonauditory effects of noise, and the interaction of noise with other agents.

Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

A Congressional hearing on noise-induced hearing loss, an often overlooked health issue, was held to determine the extent of the problem in children and youth. Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder, who presided, cited the effects of repeated exposure to loud sounds over a period of time, including the role that personal stereos and some common household items can play in hearing loss. The electronics industry was invited to participate in the hearing but was not represented. A fact sheet prepared for the record gives statistics on the number of Americans who are hearing-impaired and summarizes research on the exposure of children and youth, the special hazards of personal stereo use, prevention measures, and the effects of exercise, alcohol, and smoking on hearing. Included are prepared statements and testimony from congressmen from Illinois and Missouri, and from witnesses representing such groups as the record industry, the Central Institute for the Deaf, the University of Michigan Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health, Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers, the Car Audio Specialists Association, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Statements on exposure to firecrackers and the times when a child's hearing should be tested are also included. (LB)

The Institute of Medicine carried out a study mandated by Congress and sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an assessment of several issues related to noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus associated with service in the Armed Forces since World War II. The resulting book, Noise and Military Service: Implications for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, presents findings on the presence of hazardous noise in military settings, levels of noise exposure necessary to cause hearing loss or tinnitus, risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, the timing of the effects of noise exposure on hearing, and the adequacy of military hearing conservation programs and audiometric testing. The book stresses the importance of conducting hearing tests (audiograms) at the beginning and end of military service for all military personnel and recommends several steps aimed at improving the military services' prevention of and surveillance for hearing loss and tinnitus. The book also identifies research needs, emphasizing topics specifically related to military service.