Having a kidney stone on a Friday afternoon used to mean a weekend spent doubled over in pain, drugged and nauseated, waiting until the local hospital could get the traveling kidney stone blaster from the other hospitals that were earlier in line.
Not anymore.
Utah Valley Regional Medical Center recently invested in a stationary lithotripsy table, a $1 million piece of equipment that blasts kidney stones. Prior to this, UVRMC was on a list with several other hospitals for a mobile table that came when they scheduled it, which meant patients in kidney stone pain stayed that way for a while.
"They compare it to having a baby," nurse Brian Lee, the operating room manager, said. "Men are not very happy about it."
In a lithotripsy, the patient lies on the table while health care providers use X-rays to locate the kidney stone and then adjust the machinery so it is sending targeted sound waves at the stone. Eventually the waves dissolve the stone into a passable size. That part of the process takes about an hour. It's almost always effective. The after-effects are minimal.
Yet kidney stones remain a nightmarish experience, and not just because the swelling that results from the blockage in the ureter causes agonizing pain. Since most hospitals don't have a machine on hand, patients who come into the ER are given pain medication and sent home or checked into the hospital until the machine comes, which at best is a couple of days.
For the worst case scenario, there's Andria Sainsbury. She stumbled back into the house after leaving for work one morning; her husband, watching her sink lower and lower in her seat, knew something was wrong. They went to an InstaCare, which prescribed painkillers and told her to see if it would pass.
A week of painkillers later, it hadn't. She had to have a stent put in allowing urine to bypass the stone. By the time the hospital had gotten the lithotripsy table, she'd developed an infection and had to be admitted. From start to finish, the kidney stone consumed two weeks.
Had she been in the same situation today, she likely would have left the hospital a few hours after she arrived -- no infection, no added painkillers, no hospital stay, no prolonging the pain that is, she confirmed, worse than giving birth.
"I can't tell you how huge this is," she said.
Sainsbury, who has a genetic tendency toward kidney stones and has had dozens in the last seven years, is one of about 1.2 million Americans who have a kidney stone each year. However, although lithotripsy is a frequent procedure, the table has simply been too expensive for one facility to have one permanently. Yet Lee said they expect the machine to pay for itself in three years, considering they're averaging about one procedure a day. One day there were seven.
Lee also is optimistic that people from throughout northern Utah will drive a little farther and get the kidney stone blasted right away.
"We hope so," he said. "That's the plan."
2011年8月31日星期三
2011年8月30日星期二
Van Meter, Friendswood players look to regain health
For a team that had an ailing head coach and two injured quarterbacks, the Friendswood Mustangs can’t reflect too negatively on what transpired in their 42-28 loss to Angleton this past Friday.
Mustang head coach Steve Van Meter labored through all four quarters of Friendswood’s season opener, and then watched the Wildcats deal misery to the Mustangs on the playing field.
Van Meter still wasn’t back at school Monday and may not return to the campus until the end of the week as his battling the after-effects of having kidney stones lasered.
“He gutted it out Friday night,” Mustang offensive coordinator Robert Koopman said of Van Meter. “I couldn’t have stayed home, either. I think I’ve only missed three practices in 27 years.
“I doubt if he’s ever missed a game. And if he misses a practice, it’s because of a meeting he has to attend.”
Friendswood starting quarterback Hayden Gardner was hurt on the Mustangs’ first series, and backup Jordan Wood missed the game with a knee injury. That left the quarterbacking duties to southpaw Matt Morris.
“Matt did a tremendous job for us when Hayden went down,” Koopman said. “Hayden just aggravated that injury. Matt came out there and he started slinging away.”
It was the Mustang defense that seemed confused by Angleton’s wing-T offense.
“We gave up 400 yards rushing, which is very uncharacteristic for us,” Koopman said. “I thought we were in pretty good shape when it was 28-all, but then on the first snap after the kickoff, they go 60-something yards for a touchdown.
“We haven’t seen much of the wing-T – I don’t know if that has anything to do with how we played – but Angleton just did a great job. They’re a different outfit. I’m impressed with how much they’ve improved in such a short time. They seem to have a different approach.”
From an offensive standpoint, Koopman was happy with the output, especially from a line that returns only one veteran.
“I thought we did a tremendous job up front,” Koopman said. “Dylan Vail did a great job for his first time as a varsity center.
“All off J.J.’s (Jonathan Johnson) 150 yards came between the tackles because they were taking the outside away.”
The challenge could be even more difficult this Friday when Friendswood plays at West Orange-Stark.
“Defensively, I think they have as much or more speed than anyone we play in district,” Koopman said. “Hayden’s probably not going to play this week, but Jordan should be ready to go.
“Whoever impresses the most in practice between Jordan and Matt will probably get the call at quarterback.”
Mustang head coach Steve Van Meter labored through all four quarters of Friendswood’s season opener, and then watched the Wildcats deal misery to the Mustangs on the playing field.
Van Meter still wasn’t back at school Monday and may not return to the campus until the end of the week as his battling the after-effects of having kidney stones lasered.
“He gutted it out Friday night,” Mustang offensive coordinator Robert Koopman said of Van Meter. “I couldn’t have stayed home, either. I think I’ve only missed three practices in 27 years.
“I doubt if he’s ever missed a game. And if he misses a practice, it’s because of a meeting he has to attend.”
Friendswood starting quarterback Hayden Gardner was hurt on the Mustangs’ first series, and backup Jordan Wood missed the game with a knee injury. That left the quarterbacking duties to southpaw Matt Morris.
“Matt did a tremendous job for us when Hayden went down,” Koopman said. “Hayden just aggravated that injury. Matt came out there and he started slinging away.”
It was the Mustang defense that seemed confused by Angleton’s wing-T offense.
“We gave up 400 yards rushing, which is very uncharacteristic for us,” Koopman said. “I thought we were in pretty good shape when it was 28-all, but then on the first snap after the kickoff, they go 60-something yards for a touchdown.
“We haven’t seen much of the wing-T – I don’t know if that has anything to do with how we played – but Angleton just did a great job. They’re a different outfit. I’m impressed with how much they’ve improved in such a short time. They seem to have a different approach.”
From an offensive standpoint, Koopman was happy with the output, especially from a line that returns only one veteran.
“I thought we did a tremendous job up front,” Koopman said. “Dylan Vail did a great job for his first time as a varsity center.
“All off J.J.’s (Jonathan Johnson) 150 yards came between the tackles because they were taking the outside away.”
The challenge could be even more difficult this Friday when Friendswood plays at West Orange-Stark.
“Defensively, I think they have as much or more speed than anyone we play in district,” Koopman said. “Hayden’s probably not going to play this week, but Jordan should be ready to go.
“Whoever impresses the most in practice between Jordan and Matt will probably get the call at quarterback.”
2011年8月29日星期一
Who is at risk for kidney stones?
Anyone may develop a kidney stone, but people with certain diseases and conditions (see below) or those who are taking certain medications are more susceptible to their development. It is estimated that one out of every 10 people in the U.S. will develop stones in the urinary tract at some point in their lives. Most urinary stones develop in people 20-49 years of age, and those who are prone to multiple attacks of kidney stones usually develop their first stones during the second or third decade of life.
In residents of industrialized countries, kidney stones are more common than stones in the bladder. The opposite is true for residents of developing areas of the world, where bladder stones are the most common. This difference is believed to be related to dietary factors. Urinary tract stones are about three times more common in males than in females. The prevalence of kidney stones begins to rise when men reach their 40s, and it continues to climb into their 70s. A Caucasian male has a one in eight chance of developing a kidney stone by age 70. People who have already had more than one kidney stone are prone to developing further stones.
A family history of kidney stones is also a risk factor for developing kidney stones. Kidney stones are more common in Asians and Caucasians than in Native Americans, Africans, or African Americans.
Uric acid kidney stones are more common in people with chronically elevated uric acid levels in their blood.
A small number of pregnant women (about one out of every 1,500-3,000 pregnancies) develop kidney stones, and there is some evidence that pregnancy-related changes may increase the risk of stone formation. Factors that may contribute to stone formation during pregnancy include a slowing of the passage of urine due to increased progesterone levels and diminished fluid intake due to a decreasing bladder capacity from the enlarging uterus. Healthy pregnant women also have a mild increase in their urinary calcium excretion. However, it remains unclear whether the changes of pregnancy are directly responsible for kidney stone formation or if these women have another underlying factor that predisposes them to kidney stone formation.
Kidney stones form when there is a decrease in urine volume and/or an excess of stone-forming substances in the urine. The most common type of kidney stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. Other chemical compounds that can form stones in the urinary tract include uric acid and the amino acid cystine.
Dehydration from reduced fluid intake or strenuous exercise without adequate fluid replacement increases the risk of kidney stones. Obstruction to the flow of urine can also lead to stone formation. In this regard, climate may be a risk factor for kidney stone development, since residents of hot and dry areas are more likely to become dehydrated and susceptible to stone formation.
Kidney stones can also result from infection in the urinary tract; these are known as struvite or infection stones.
In residents of industrialized countries, kidney stones are more common than stones in the bladder. The opposite is true for residents of developing areas of the world, where bladder stones are the most common. This difference is believed to be related to dietary factors. Urinary tract stones are about three times more common in males than in females. The prevalence of kidney stones begins to rise when men reach their 40s, and it continues to climb into their 70s. A Caucasian male has a one in eight chance of developing a kidney stone by age 70. People who have already had more than one kidney stone are prone to developing further stones.
A family history of kidney stones is also a risk factor for developing kidney stones. Kidney stones are more common in Asians and Caucasians than in Native Americans, Africans, or African Americans.
Uric acid kidney stones are more common in people with chronically elevated uric acid levels in their blood.
A small number of pregnant women (about one out of every 1,500-3,000 pregnancies) develop kidney stones, and there is some evidence that pregnancy-related changes may increase the risk of stone formation. Factors that may contribute to stone formation during pregnancy include a slowing of the passage of urine due to increased progesterone levels and diminished fluid intake due to a decreasing bladder capacity from the enlarging uterus. Healthy pregnant women also have a mild increase in their urinary calcium excretion. However, it remains unclear whether the changes of pregnancy are directly responsible for kidney stone formation or if these women have another underlying factor that predisposes them to kidney stone formation.
Kidney stones form when there is a decrease in urine volume and/or an excess of stone-forming substances in the urine. The most common type of kidney stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. Other chemical compounds that can form stones in the urinary tract include uric acid and the amino acid cystine.
Dehydration from reduced fluid intake or strenuous exercise without adequate fluid replacement increases the risk of kidney stones. Obstruction to the flow of urine can also lead to stone formation. In this regard, climate may be a risk factor for kidney stone development, since residents of hot and dry areas are more likely to become dehydrated and susceptible to stone formation.
Kidney stones can also result from infection in the urinary tract; these are known as struvite or infection stones.
2011年8月28日星期日
Let's play guess the hospital bill
If you were to spend 2 hours and 25 minutes in the emergency room at the “not for profit” Yuma Regional Medical Center, what do you think would be a reasonable bill?
OK, I was diagnosed in 5 minutes (literally), with a kidney stone, given fluids intravenously for dehydration and given a pain-killer.
So, what do you think, $300, $500?
OK, after easily diagnosing the kidney stnoe, the attending physician sent me down for a CT scan, “just to be sure,” of course.
So, now what do you think, $1,000, $1,200?
But we all know the state of health care costs these days, so let's be more realistic.
Would you think a reasonable bill would be $2,000, $3,000?
OK, what would you think might be an UNREASONABLE bill for A DIAGNOSIS of $4,000, $6,000?
Well, I hit the jackpot.
My bill at the “not for profit” organization was $9,527.30 with the doctor's portion of this bill, for literally five minutes of face time and four questions, being $700.63.
I shudder to think what it would have cost had they actually solved the problem.
OK, I was diagnosed in 5 minutes (literally), with a kidney stone, given fluids intravenously for dehydration and given a pain-killer.
So, what do you think, $300, $500?
OK, after easily diagnosing the kidney stnoe, the attending physician sent me down for a CT scan, “just to be sure,” of course.
So, now what do you think, $1,000, $1,200?
But we all know the state of health care costs these days, so let's be more realistic.
Would you think a reasonable bill would be $2,000, $3,000?
OK, what would you think might be an UNREASONABLE bill for A DIAGNOSIS of $4,000, $6,000?
Well, I hit the jackpot.
My bill at the “not for profit” organization was $9,527.30 with the doctor's portion of this bill, for literally five minutes of face time and four questions, being $700.63.
I shudder to think what it would have cost had they actually solved the problem.
2011年8月25日星期四
CT Scans Gain Popularity in the ER
CT scans gained popularity in all of the most common ER complaints, including symptoms where it's unclear what extra information a scan can provide, researchers said.
In some instances, a well-timed scan can help doctors make an important diagnosis and can save money by determining which patients don't need to stay in the hospital for observation, Dr. Keith Kocher of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and colleagues write in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
But another recent study found that doctors rely much more on patient history and a physical exam than the results of CTs done in the ER when making a diagnosis (see Reuters Health story of August 12, 2011.)
The scans also come with a small dose of radiation that's been linked to slightly increased cancer risks many years down the line, and have a price tag of a few hundred dollars each.
"You can't keep increasing your rate of scanning the way we are," Kocher told Reuters Health. "Eventually you're just going to be scanning everybody, and that doesn't make any sense."
"We are definitely doing too many," he added.
Kocher's team used a representative sample of about 370,000 trips to ERs across the U.S. between 1996 and 2007. For each visit, they had information on patients' primary complaint, whether or not they were given a CT scan in the ER, and if they were ultimately admitted to the hospital for further treatment or observation.
In 1996, just over three percent of all trips to the ER included a CT scan.
By 2007, that figure had risen to almost 14 percent, which is about a quarter of the 72 million scans done in the U.S., according to the researchers.
Scans became more common for ER patients with all 20 of the most common complaints, and increased the fastest for stomach, side, and chest pains.
For side pain, those CTs are probably not necessary most of the time, Kocher said. In those cases, doctors are typically looking for a kidney stone to show up on the scan.
"Whether or not you diagnose a kidney stone on a CT scan (or another way, with an ultrasound or just using patient symptoms), it kind of doesn't matter, because ultimately most of the patients are sent home," Kocher said.
In that case, "You have to wonder if the CT scan is getting us any additional worthwhile information."
The new findings bolster earlier work pointing to a rapid growth in new imaging technology.
Kocher said it's hard to make a general rule about when a CT scan is or isn't necessary, because specific details of each case come into play.
Over the course of the study, fewer patients were admitted to the hospital after getting a CT scan. That could mean that the tests helped doctors rule out serious conditions and avoid keeping patients in the hospital, but the study can't prove the two are definitely linked, Kocher said.
In some instances, a well-timed scan can help doctors make an important diagnosis and can save money by determining which patients don't need to stay in the hospital for observation, Dr. Keith Kocher of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and colleagues write in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
But another recent study found that doctors rely much more on patient history and a physical exam than the results of CTs done in the ER when making a diagnosis (see Reuters Health story of August 12, 2011.)
The scans also come with a small dose of radiation that's been linked to slightly increased cancer risks many years down the line, and have a price tag of a few hundred dollars each.
"You can't keep increasing your rate of scanning the way we are," Kocher told Reuters Health. "Eventually you're just going to be scanning everybody, and that doesn't make any sense."
"We are definitely doing too many," he added.
Kocher's team used a representative sample of about 370,000 trips to ERs across the U.S. between 1996 and 2007. For each visit, they had information on patients' primary complaint, whether or not they were given a CT scan in the ER, and if they were ultimately admitted to the hospital for further treatment or observation.
In 1996, just over three percent of all trips to the ER included a CT scan.
By 2007, that figure had risen to almost 14 percent, which is about a quarter of the 72 million scans done in the U.S., according to the researchers.
Scans became more common for ER patients with all 20 of the most common complaints, and increased the fastest for stomach, side, and chest pains.
For side pain, those CTs are probably not necessary most of the time, Kocher said. In those cases, doctors are typically looking for a kidney stone to show up on the scan.
"Whether or not you diagnose a kidney stone on a CT scan (or another way, with an ultrasound or just using patient symptoms), it kind of doesn't matter, because ultimately most of the patients are sent home," Kocher said.
In that case, "You have to wonder if the CT scan is getting us any additional worthwhile information."
The new findings bolster earlier work pointing to a rapid growth in new imaging technology.
Kocher said it's hard to make a general rule about when a CT scan is or isn't necessary, because specific details of each case come into play.
Over the course of the study, fewer patients were admitted to the hospital after getting a CT scan. That could mean that the tests helped doctors rule out serious conditions and avoid keeping patients in the hospital, but the study can't prove the two are definitely linked, Kocher said.
2011年8月24日星期三
Fresno State Students work with NASA
In July, a team of eight Fresno State students went to NASA to conduct an experiment in its Grant Us Space Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program.
The students departed to Houston, on July 5, where they trained for their weightless experiment.
"We were the only team there doing work at zero gravity," Mujahid Umar, a mechanical engineering major at Fresno State said.
The team tested the formation of a substance called calcium oxalate in order to see how it reacts in a microgravity environment on NASA’s "Weightless Wonder” aircraft. Calcium oxalate is salt crystals found in plants and is also the major component of kidney stones.
The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives undergraduate students the chance to offer ideas to NASA. The teams also build and fly in a reduced-gravity experiment.
The team was chosen from more than 20 groups nationwide after they reapplied. NASA rejected their first proposal but after hours of researching, building the experiment and then reapplying they were selected.
"Being a NASA employee for two weeks, you know, that just hits home. It's just pretty cool," said Jordan Ringel, chemistry major at Fresno State.
The craft produced weightlessness for 18 to 25 seconds at a time in a series of 30 parabolas, Umar said.
"The best part of the trip was being weightless. It is indescribable and such a natural feeling," Gonzalo Leyva, an electrical engineering major said. "It was the best decision I have ever made."
The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students and they are still deciding if they will apply for next year’s simulation, Joy Goto said, the assistant professor for the chemistry department that went on the trip with the students.
"So I just held on a little bit to one of the straps and just let my body float up, it was an amazing experience," Jose Correa said, a civil engineering major at Fresno State.
According to NASA's website, astronauts are at risk for developing kidney stones because of the loss of bone calcium and decreased fluid intake.
The kidney stones can form during or after the flight, and can pose serious consequences if not treated immediately.
"Mentoring and going with this group of students is something that most professors don't get to do," Goto said.
The team will evaluate their findings and provide the results to NASA at a meeting in November.
The students departed to Houston, on July 5, where they trained for their weightless experiment.
"We were the only team there doing work at zero gravity," Mujahid Umar, a mechanical engineering major at Fresno State said.
The team tested the formation of a substance called calcium oxalate in order to see how it reacts in a microgravity environment on NASA’s "Weightless Wonder” aircraft. Calcium oxalate is salt crystals found in plants and is also the major component of kidney stones.
The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives undergraduate students the chance to offer ideas to NASA. The teams also build and fly in a reduced-gravity experiment.
The team was chosen from more than 20 groups nationwide after they reapplied. NASA rejected their first proposal but after hours of researching, building the experiment and then reapplying they were selected.
"Being a NASA employee for two weeks, you know, that just hits home. It's just pretty cool," said Jordan Ringel, chemistry major at Fresno State.
The craft produced weightlessness for 18 to 25 seconds at a time in a series of 30 parabolas, Umar said.
"The best part of the trip was being weightless. It is indescribable and such a natural feeling," Gonzalo Leyva, an electrical engineering major said. "It was the best decision I have ever made."
The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students and they are still deciding if they will apply for next year’s simulation, Joy Goto said, the assistant professor for the chemistry department that went on the trip with the students.
"So I just held on a little bit to one of the straps and just let my body float up, it was an amazing experience," Jose Correa said, a civil engineering major at Fresno State.
According to NASA's website, astronauts are at risk for developing kidney stones because of the loss of bone calcium and decreased fluid intake.
The kidney stones can form during or after the flight, and can pose serious consequences if not treated immediately.
"Mentoring and going with this group of students is something that most professors don't get to do," Goto said.
The team will evaluate their findings and provide the results to NASA at a meeting in November.
2011年8月23日星期二
Fresno State students work with NASA
In July, a team of eight Fresno State students went to the NASA to conduct an experiment in its Grant Us Space Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program.
The students departed to Houston, Texas, on July 5, where they trained for their weightless experiment.
“We were the only team there doing work at zero gravity,” said Mujahid Umar, a mechanical engineering major at Fresno State.
The team tested the formation of a substance called calcium oxalate in order to see how it reacts in a microgravity environment on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder”
aircraft. Calcium oxalate are sharp salt crystals found in plants and is also the major component of kidney stones.
The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives undergraduate students the chance to offer ideas to NASA. The teams also build and fly in a reduced-gravity experiment.
“The best part of the trip was being weightless. It is indescribable and such a natural
feeling,” said Gonzalo Leyva, an electrical engineering major. “It was the best decision I
have ever made.”
According to NASA’s website, astronauts are at risk for developing kidney stones because of the loss of bone calcium and decreased fluid intake. The kidney stones can form during or after the flight, and can pose serious consequences if not treated immediately.
“Mentoring and going with this group of students is something that most professors don’t get to do,” said Joy Goto, assistant professor for the chemistry department at Fresno
State.
The team will evaluate their findings and provide the results to NASA at a meeting in November.
The students departed to Houston, Texas, on July 5, where they trained for their weightless experiment.
“We were the only team there doing work at zero gravity,” said Mujahid Umar, a mechanical engineering major at Fresno State.
The team tested the formation of a substance called calcium oxalate in order to see how it reacts in a microgravity environment on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder”
aircraft. Calcium oxalate are sharp salt crystals found in plants and is also the major component of kidney stones.
The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives undergraduate students the chance to offer ideas to NASA. The teams also build and fly in a reduced-gravity experiment.
“The best part of the trip was being weightless. It is indescribable and such a natural
feeling,” said Gonzalo Leyva, an electrical engineering major. “It was the best decision I
have ever made.”
According to NASA’s website, astronauts are at risk for developing kidney stones because of the loss of bone calcium and decreased fluid intake. The kidney stones can form during or after the flight, and can pose serious consequences if not treated immediately.
“Mentoring and going with this group of students is something that most professors don’t get to do,” said Joy Goto, assistant professor for the chemistry department at Fresno
State.
The team will evaluate their findings and provide the results to NASA at a meeting in November.
2011年8月22日星期一
Fla. Teacher Investigated for Expressing Religious Beliefs on Facebook
On July 25, news accounts say, Buell saw a story on television about New York’s approval of homosexual “marriage,” which the Governor, with the help of Republicans, pushed into law. Homosexuals everywhere celebrated with abandon.
But not Jerry Buell. According to Todd Starnes, writing at the Fox News radio website, Buell posted the following comments:
I’m watching the news, eating dinner when the story about New York okaying same-sex unions came on and I almost threw up.
And now they showed two guys kissing after their announcement. If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don’t insult a man and woman’s marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool of whatever. God will not be mocked.
When did this sin become acceptable?
Three minutes later, Starnes reported, Buell let another opinion fly, this time quoting the apostle Paul:
By the way, if one doesn’t like the most recently posted opinion based on biblical principles and God’s laws, then go ahead and unfriend me. I’ll miss you like I miss my kidney stone from 1994. And I will never accept it because God will never accept it. Romans chapter one.
Someone reported Buell’s remarks to the Lake County School System, which quickly pushed him out of the classroom and into a corner to shuffle papers until its investigation is complete.
School officials argue that Buelll did not have a right to post what he said, and that homosexual students might feel “unwelcome” in his classroom.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Lake County schools adopted guidelines for using social media such as Facebook in January, following other school districts which have done likewise.
Chris Patton, a spokesman for the schools, told the paper that “social media is a minefield. People think they're free to say what they want to, but in some aspects it can come back to haunt you.”
Patton told Starnes that Buell’s remarks cannot be considered private:
He has [more than] 700 friends. How private is that — really?
Social media can be troubling if you don’t respect it and know that just because you think you are in a private realm — it’s not private.
Buell, of course, disagrees. “It was my own personal comment on my own personal time on my own personal computer in my own personal house, exercising what I believed as a social studies teacher to be my First Amendment rights,” he told Starnes, adding,
To try and say you could lose your job over speaking about something in the venue that I did in the manner that I did is not just a knee-jerk reaction. It’s a violent reaction to one person making a complaint.
Buell told the Sentinel that he was merely expressing his religious beliefs. “It wasn't out of hatred. It was about the way I interpret things.”
Social Media Rules
While Buell does not appear to have violated the state’s ethics guidelines, he may have trespassed its guidelines for using social media, or so the school system says, noting that it is investigating a “possible code of ethics violation.” The school system has published a lengthy list of dos and don’ts under the title, “Social Networking Sites & Blogs for Personal Use.”
The guidelines includes the usual boilerplate material about not posting comments about sexual or illegal activities, but adds another warning or two:
If you post information or comments that are not related to the District, your activities may still result in professional and/or personal repercussions. Such actions include, but are not limited to:
Posting as a citizen about a non-job related matter of public concern (elections, environmental issues, etc.) and making comments that negatively affect the district’s effectiveness or efficiency or otherwise disrupt the workplace.
Posting or blogging about personal subjects (i.e. dating, romance, drug or alcohol use). Your blog or web page should not contain any references to sexual subjects or contain vulgar or profane language or graphics. If your blog or web page was a movie, it should be rated “G”.
If you identify yourself as a District employee, your actions will reflect not only on you but on the District as well. In this case, you must state that you are expressing your own opinion, not that of the District. Readers may still associate you with the District, even with the disclaimer that your views are your own.
But not Jerry Buell. According to Todd Starnes, writing at the Fox News radio website, Buell posted the following comments:
I’m watching the news, eating dinner when the story about New York okaying same-sex unions came on and I almost threw up.
And now they showed two guys kissing after their announcement. If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don’t insult a man and woman’s marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool of whatever. God will not be mocked.
When did this sin become acceptable?
Three minutes later, Starnes reported, Buell let another opinion fly, this time quoting the apostle Paul:
By the way, if one doesn’t like the most recently posted opinion based on biblical principles and God’s laws, then go ahead and unfriend me. I’ll miss you like I miss my kidney stone from 1994. And I will never accept it because God will never accept it. Romans chapter one.
Someone reported Buell’s remarks to the Lake County School System, which quickly pushed him out of the classroom and into a corner to shuffle papers until its investigation is complete.
School officials argue that Buelll did not have a right to post what he said, and that homosexual students might feel “unwelcome” in his classroom.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Lake County schools adopted guidelines for using social media such as Facebook in January, following other school districts which have done likewise.
Chris Patton, a spokesman for the schools, told the paper that “social media is a minefield. People think they're free to say what they want to, but in some aspects it can come back to haunt you.”
Patton told Starnes that Buell’s remarks cannot be considered private:
He has [more than] 700 friends. How private is that — really?
Social media can be troubling if you don’t respect it and know that just because you think you are in a private realm — it’s not private.
Buell, of course, disagrees. “It was my own personal comment on my own personal time on my own personal computer in my own personal house, exercising what I believed as a social studies teacher to be my First Amendment rights,” he told Starnes, adding,
To try and say you could lose your job over speaking about something in the venue that I did in the manner that I did is not just a knee-jerk reaction. It’s a violent reaction to one person making a complaint.
Buell told the Sentinel that he was merely expressing his religious beliefs. “It wasn't out of hatred. It was about the way I interpret things.”
Social Media Rules
While Buell does not appear to have violated the state’s ethics guidelines, he may have trespassed its guidelines for using social media, or so the school system says, noting that it is investigating a “possible code of ethics violation.” The school system has published a lengthy list of dos and don’ts under the title, “Social Networking Sites & Blogs for Personal Use.”
The guidelines includes the usual boilerplate material about not posting comments about sexual or illegal activities, but adds another warning or two:
If you post information or comments that are not related to the District, your activities may still result in professional and/or personal repercussions. Such actions include, but are not limited to:
Posting as a citizen about a non-job related matter of public concern (elections, environmental issues, etc.) and making comments that negatively affect the district’s effectiveness or efficiency or otherwise disrupt the workplace.
Posting or blogging about personal subjects (i.e. dating, romance, drug or alcohol use). Your blog or web page should not contain any references to sexual subjects or contain vulgar or profane language or graphics. If your blog or web page was a movie, it should be rated “G”.
If you identify yourself as a District employee, your actions will reflect not only on you but on the District as well. In this case, you must state that you are expressing your own opinion, not that of the District. Readers may still associate you with the District, even with the disclaimer that your views are your own.
2011年8月21日星期日
Too much of a good thing
Most practical medical websites seem to infer that we can get the bulk of our vitamins from a good diet It's not a pretty sight watching me drink my high dose vitamin C in the morning. I look like a cat spitting out bird feathers. So sweet and sour! After a scientist friend told me the other day she wouldn't be caught dead taking high-dose vitamin C because she had heard that it was carcinogenic, it's made me wonder if I am just putting myself through this unappetising experience for nothing, or indeed that it could be bad for me.
I decide to do an internet search on high-dose vitamin C. I learn that vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. It is essential for the production of collagen, the substance that forms the body's connective tissues. It also helps with the absorption of iron.
I can't find anything alleging that high-dose vitamin C could be carcinogenic, though I find a reference to one report saying that taking too much might be "risky". The worst it can do to you is give you loose bowels, maybe a kidney stone, most agree.
Meanwhile, there's definitely some contention on whether vitamin C is a cure-all for a cold. One institute says it's definitely not worthwhile after cold symptoms have started - but people who have been taking the supplement regularly will benefit.
Another thing which is confusing is how much vitamin C is the recommended dose.
I talk briefly to Clinicians naturopath, Jane Cronin about this - I can't quite limit myself entirely to the internet. I take the Clinicians brand of Hi-Dose Vitamin C which gives me 700mg of Vitamin C ascorbic acid, and 2850mg Vitamin C from sodium ascorbate in my daily teaspoonful. The Ministry of Health says an upper limit would be around 1000mg a day.
Jane says it's perfectly fine to take high-dose vitamin C for the whole of winter, and if it's too much my body will let me know by giving me loose bowels. Lovely.
Vitamin C is also great for when you are under stress, she says. Stress depletes the vitamin C levels stored in your adrenals.
But she says that alleging vitamin C clears up colds is still pretty controversial. Some have said it's useful for viral infections, and vitamin C does build white blood cells which help fight infection, she adds.
Most practical medical websites seem to infer that we can get the bulk of our vitamins from a good diet and have a small additional amount in a supplement. Though I have a weakness for cake, I do eat a vitamin C rich diet - things like spinach, oranges, broccoli, baked potatoes, and tomatoes.
I find an interesting online British health journal called What Doctors Don't Tell You (WDDTY), which seems to be the pet medical website of British journalists. It mutters tantalising things about the perceived risks of vitamin C but I need to buy a subscription to read the article.
Having done all this research, I can only report on what is keeping me well over this winter - I haven't had a cold since April though I've had a few near-runs but held them at bay. Over the past few months I have been taking the high-dose vitamin C and Femme Essentials multivitamin and mineral. After my chat with Jane I am going to move on to a lower-dose vitamin C with flavonoids when I finish my current lot. Flavonoids are usually found with vitamin C in nature, she says. And it tastes nice.
Finally, I consult my GP about vitamin C dosage and she, a very practical woman, says she has never taken it a day in her life, relying on diet to make sure she has enough. Just have a couple of kiwifruit a day, she says. She is not worried about my overdosing on my high-dose vitamin C as it is a water soluble supplement, which will just pass through me if it's not needed. Her medical lecturer used to say it was just very expensive urine, she says.
I decide to do an internet search on high-dose vitamin C. I learn that vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. It is essential for the production of collagen, the substance that forms the body's connective tissues. It also helps with the absorption of iron.
I can't find anything alleging that high-dose vitamin C could be carcinogenic, though I find a reference to one report saying that taking too much might be "risky". The worst it can do to you is give you loose bowels, maybe a kidney stone, most agree.
Meanwhile, there's definitely some contention on whether vitamin C is a cure-all for a cold. One institute says it's definitely not worthwhile after cold symptoms have started - but people who have been taking the supplement regularly will benefit.
Another thing which is confusing is how much vitamin C is the recommended dose.
I talk briefly to Clinicians naturopath, Jane Cronin about this - I can't quite limit myself entirely to the internet. I take the Clinicians brand of Hi-Dose Vitamin C which gives me 700mg of Vitamin C ascorbic acid, and 2850mg Vitamin C from sodium ascorbate in my daily teaspoonful. The Ministry of Health says an upper limit would be around 1000mg a day.
Jane says it's perfectly fine to take high-dose vitamin C for the whole of winter, and if it's too much my body will let me know by giving me loose bowels. Lovely.
Vitamin C is also great for when you are under stress, she says. Stress depletes the vitamin C levels stored in your adrenals.
But she says that alleging vitamin C clears up colds is still pretty controversial. Some have said it's useful for viral infections, and vitamin C does build white blood cells which help fight infection, she adds.
Most practical medical websites seem to infer that we can get the bulk of our vitamins from a good diet and have a small additional amount in a supplement. Though I have a weakness for cake, I do eat a vitamin C rich diet - things like spinach, oranges, broccoli, baked potatoes, and tomatoes.
I find an interesting online British health journal called What Doctors Don't Tell You (WDDTY), which seems to be the pet medical website of British journalists. It mutters tantalising things about the perceived risks of vitamin C but I need to buy a subscription to read the article.
Having done all this research, I can only report on what is keeping me well over this winter - I haven't had a cold since April though I've had a few near-runs but held them at bay. Over the past few months I have been taking the high-dose vitamin C and Femme Essentials multivitamin and mineral. After my chat with Jane I am going to move on to a lower-dose vitamin C with flavonoids when I finish my current lot. Flavonoids are usually found with vitamin C in nature, she says. And it tastes nice.
Finally, I consult my GP about vitamin C dosage and she, a very practical woman, says she has never taken it a day in her life, relying on diet to make sure she has enough. Just have a couple of kiwifruit a day, she says. She is not worried about my overdosing on my high-dose vitamin C as it is a water soluble supplement, which will just pass through me if it's not needed. Her medical lecturer used to say it was just very expensive urine, she says.
2011年8月18日星期四
Gene vs. the GOP on D.C. voting rights
Were you as appalled as I was by the political incivility and name-calling in Congress over the recent debt-limit crisis? Today, to prove it is possible to transcend partisan differences and actually get something done between political adversaries, I intend to engage — in an open, respectful and constructive way — one of the most evil monsters on the planet.
All you need to know is that I live in Washington, D.C., the only part of the country that has no vote in Congress. (In a wonderful bit of municipal subversion, the slogan on our license plates is “Taxation Without Representation.”) All efforts to rectify this grievous injustice have been stymied by congressional Republicans, who don’t like Washington because it is heavily Democratic. The more staunchly Republican the legislator, the more he resists. I am talking with congressman Jason Chaffetz (RRRRRR-Utah).
Me: You are one of the most outspoken opponents of legislation to give D.C. residents a vote in Congress. I think it would be fair to say that if the D.C. voting rights bill were a rabbit, you would be Elmer Fudd.
Jason: Except I wouldn’t miss.
Me: My first question is — to establish that you are not a humorless buzz-kill bureaucrat — could you succinctly express your opposition to a D.C. voting rights bill in the voice of Elmer Fudd?
Jason: It’s not a state!
Me: That’s not in Elmer Fudd’s voice!
Jason:
Me: Okay, you won’t fall for that twap. Many conservatives say that they might be in favor of D.C. residents having a vote but that it would take a constitutional amendment.
Jason: Yes, I believe the Constitution is crystal clear on that point.
Me: Aren’t there times when an injustice is so great you have to throw out the rules? Let’s say a man crawls up to a fancy restaurant, dying of starvation. As the maitre d’, would you turn him away because the rules require a jacket and tie?
Jason: Can the restaurant be Five Guys? I like Five Guys.
Me: So the answer is yes?
Jason:
Me: Isn’t saying that you are for D.C. voting rights but only after amending the Constitution kind of like saying you are for the right to bear arms only if you make the gun yourself out of pipe cleaners and mud? Constitutional amendments are hard and painful to get passed, like a kidney stone. We spent 10 years and couldn’t get one that merely said women were as good as men.
Jason: It’s possible to get a constitutional amendment passed. We’re going to vote on one today on a balanced budget.
Me: That’s not going to pass, either!
Jason:
Me: I just realized that the “mud and pipe cleaner” thing actually is my stance on the right to bear arms. You’re an arms guy, right?
Jason: I have a Glock 23 and a concealed weapons permit.
Me: Maybe we can show the world that a liberal and a conservative can come together for the common good. Would you support D.C. voting rights if, in return, every citizen of Utah is issued a bazooka?
Jason: Nah, in Utah bazookas are already mandatory. We have ’em in our schools and churches.
Me: Okay, how about if D.C. gets the vote, but the only polling place is in the fancy
French restaurant Citronelle, and you need a reservation?
Jason: Can we make it Five Guys? I like Five Guys.
Me: How about if Democratic votes only count for three-fifths of Republican votes?
Jason: We sort of already have that system. In Utah. What I really think should happen is retrocession. Maryland takes back the District of Columbia. Then you would have two senators, representatives and a governor.
Me: I can see how you’d like that. A Democratic state becomes more Democratic. Doesn’t shift any balance.
Jason: Okay, how about if Nevada takes the District?
Me: We’re never going to agree on this, are we?
Jason: I like Five Guys.
All you need to know is that I live in Washington, D.C., the only part of the country that has no vote in Congress. (In a wonderful bit of municipal subversion, the slogan on our license plates is “Taxation Without Representation.”) All efforts to rectify this grievous injustice have been stymied by congressional Republicans, who don’t like Washington because it is heavily Democratic. The more staunchly Republican the legislator, the more he resists. I am talking with congressman Jason Chaffetz (RRRRRR-Utah).
Me: You are one of the most outspoken opponents of legislation to give D.C. residents a vote in Congress. I think it would be fair to say that if the D.C. voting rights bill were a rabbit, you would be Elmer Fudd.
Jason: Except I wouldn’t miss.
Me: My first question is — to establish that you are not a humorless buzz-kill bureaucrat — could you succinctly express your opposition to a D.C. voting rights bill in the voice of Elmer Fudd?
Jason: It’s not a state!
Me: That’s not in Elmer Fudd’s voice!
Jason:
Me: Okay, you won’t fall for that twap. Many conservatives say that they might be in favor of D.C. residents having a vote but that it would take a constitutional amendment.
Jason: Yes, I believe the Constitution is crystal clear on that point.
Me: Aren’t there times when an injustice is so great you have to throw out the rules? Let’s say a man crawls up to a fancy restaurant, dying of starvation. As the maitre d’, would you turn him away because the rules require a jacket and tie?
Jason: Can the restaurant be Five Guys? I like Five Guys.
Me: So the answer is yes?
Jason:
Me: Isn’t saying that you are for D.C. voting rights but only after amending the Constitution kind of like saying you are for the right to bear arms only if you make the gun yourself out of pipe cleaners and mud? Constitutional amendments are hard and painful to get passed, like a kidney stone. We spent 10 years and couldn’t get one that merely said women were as good as men.
Jason: It’s possible to get a constitutional amendment passed. We’re going to vote on one today on a balanced budget.
Me: That’s not going to pass, either!
Jason:
Me: I just realized that the “mud and pipe cleaner” thing actually is my stance on the right to bear arms. You’re an arms guy, right?
Jason: I have a Glock 23 and a concealed weapons permit.
Me: Maybe we can show the world that a liberal and a conservative can come together for the common good. Would you support D.C. voting rights if, in return, every citizen of Utah is issued a bazooka?
Jason: Nah, in Utah bazookas are already mandatory. We have ’em in our schools and churches.
Me: Okay, how about if D.C. gets the vote, but the only polling place is in the fancy
French restaurant Citronelle, and you need a reservation?
Jason: Can we make it Five Guys? I like Five Guys.
Me: How about if Democratic votes only count for three-fifths of Republican votes?
Jason: We sort of already have that system. In Utah. What I really think should happen is retrocession. Maryland takes back the District of Columbia. Then you would have two senators, representatives and a governor.
Me: I can see how you’d like that. A Democratic state becomes more Democratic. Doesn’t shift any balance.
Jason: Okay, how about if Nevada takes the District?
Me: We’re never going to agree on this, are we?
Jason: I like Five Guys.
2011年8月15日星期一
Mapping the body: the ureter
The noisiest patient I ever had was a young man suffering from a disorder affecting one of his ureters. As he lay on a trolley, waiting to be seen in a heaving emergency room, his cries of pain escalated. To begin with, he simply groaned. By the time I got to him, he was declaring: "This is worse than childbirth!"
Not to be confused with the urethra, a single structure that takes urine from the bladder to the outside world, the ureter is a paired tube that delivers urine from each kidney to the bladder.
It arises on both sides from the concave surface of the kidney known as the hilum. It is between 20 and 30cm long and can be affected by a number of disorders. These range from something present from birth called bifid ureter, in which the structure is doubled, to inflammation and cancer. But kidney stones are by far the most common problem, and were the source of my patient's agony.
Kidney stones form when tiny crystals present in the urine (often made from calcium) clump together to form a mass. Young men are the usual victims, and dehydration the main cause. When the stones get above a certain size, they can no longer pass along the ureters and get stuck.
This tends to occur in the three places where the ureter is at its narrowest: where the ureter leaves the kidney, where it crosses the iliac artery and where it enters the bladder. Impaction of a stone at any of these sites causes severe pain, known as renal colic, usually felt in the abdomen or side, and often tracking down to the groin.
After giving my patient painkillers, I took him to the x-ray room for a test called an intravenous urogram. This involves squirting iodine dye into an arm vein and waiting for it to light up the kidneys, ureter and bladder on x-rays, which are then checked for blockages. To make sure a patient is not allergic to iodine, we ask whether they can eat shellfish. It is also polite to warn them they may feel warm as the dye goes in.
Other treatments include surgery or lithotripsy – in which stones are smashed by applying ultrasonic waves to the outside of the abdomen. My patient was lucky. His stone passed all by itself and he left the hospital that day with little more than a determination to drink more water in future.
Not to be confused with the urethra, a single structure that takes urine from the bladder to the outside world, the ureter is a paired tube that delivers urine from each kidney to the bladder.
It arises on both sides from the concave surface of the kidney known as the hilum. It is between 20 and 30cm long and can be affected by a number of disorders. These range from something present from birth called bifid ureter, in which the structure is doubled, to inflammation and cancer. But kidney stones are by far the most common problem, and were the source of my patient's agony.
Kidney stones form when tiny crystals present in the urine (often made from calcium) clump together to form a mass. Young men are the usual victims, and dehydration the main cause. When the stones get above a certain size, they can no longer pass along the ureters and get stuck.
This tends to occur in the three places where the ureter is at its narrowest: where the ureter leaves the kidney, where it crosses the iliac artery and where it enters the bladder. Impaction of a stone at any of these sites causes severe pain, known as renal colic, usually felt in the abdomen or side, and often tracking down to the groin.
After giving my patient painkillers, I took him to the x-ray room for a test called an intravenous urogram. This involves squirting iodine dye into an arm vein and waiting for it to light up the kidneys, ureter and bladder on x-rays, which are then checked for blockages. To make sure a patient is not allergic to iodine, we ask whether they can eat shellfish. It is also polite to warn them they may feel warm as the dye goes in.
Other treatments include surgery or lithotripsy – in which stones are smashed by applying ultrasonic waves to the outside of the abdomen. My patient was lucky. His stone passed all by itself and he left the hospital that day with little more than a determination to drink more water in future.
2011年8月14日星期日
It’s not the sun
Bangalore’s salubrious weather is not helping your daily quota of Vitamin D, a vitamin most easily attained by the body through the absorption of sunlight. Dr Shonali Sabherwal, a certified macrobiotic food consultant explains why a large number of people are now Vitamin D deficient. It’s not just about the sun.
Adequate fill
Normally speaking, Vitamin D aids a large number of critical functions in the body without which systems begin to fail. It helps absorb calcium in the body and maintains phosphorus levels which are critical for bone development. It also helps with weight loss and reduces muscle fatigue and skin disorders.
It improves your immunity and is also known to reduce the incidence of cancer and heart diseases. According to studies, adequate quantities of the vitamin also help combat depression and type II diabetes.
In spite of your sun tan, you might still be deficient for the vitamin owing to the following reasons:
Junk yard woes
The kidneys play an essential role in converting Vitamin D into a usable substance for the body. Most people in cities suffer from what might be known as ‘adrenal fatigue’. Lifestyle ills such as drinking excessive tea/coffee, not sleeping enough, consuming processed foods and too much salt end up having a snowball effect on your system.
The adrenal glands located above the kidney regulates your stress response and immunity, which are affected adversely by these excesses. Better immunity, in turn, ensures better absorption of Vitamin D. Help your adrenals by resting adequately, cutting back on sugar and processed foods and eating more vegetables, grains legumes, etc.
Gut instinct
In order to adequately absorb Vitamin D, the body needs to break down fat which doesn’t happen if the digestive system is ailing. When someone suffers from diarrhea or colitis, there is no absorption of the vitamin as the food consumed passes through and is digested in the intestines instead of the stomach. In such cases, liver pumps in reserve Vitamin D that it stores in its system and if the liver is weak as well, the body is denied these stores. People advised to consume oil-based laxatives also suffer from low Vitamin D absorption.
Adequate fill
Normally speaking, Vitamin D aids a large number of critical functions in the body without which systems begin to fail. It helps absorb calcium in the body and maintains phosphorus levels which are critical for bone development. It also helps with weight loss and reduces muscle fatigue and skin disorders.
It improves your immunity and is also known to reduce the incidence of cancer and heart diseases. According to studies, adequate quantities of the vitamin also help combat depression and type II diabetes.
In spite of your sun tan, you might still be deficient for the vitamin owing to the following reasons:
Junk yard woes
The kidneys play an essential role in converting Vitamin D into a usable substance for the body. Most people in cities suffer from what might be known as ‘adrenal fatigue’. Lifestyle ills such as drinking excessive tea/coffee, not sleeping enough, consuming processed foods and too much salt end up having a snowball effect on your system.
The adrenal glands located above the kidney regulates your stress response and immunity, which are affected adversely by these excesses. Better immunity, in turn, ensures better absorption of Vitamin D. Help your adrenals by resting adequately, cutting back on sugar and processed foods and eating more vegetables, grains legumes, etc.
Gut instinct
In order to adequately absorb Vitamin D, the body needs to break down fat which doesn’t happen if the digestive system is ailing. When someone suffers from diarrhea or colitis, there is no absorption of the vitamin as the food consumed passes through and is digested in the intestines instead of the stomach. In such cases, liver pumps in reserve Vitamin D that it stores in its system and if the liver is weak as well, the body is denied these stores. People advised to consume oil-based laxatives also suffer from low Vitamin D absorption.
2011年8月11日星期四
Crestwood officials indicted in tainted drinking water scandal
For nearly two decades, the former mayor of Crestwood, who ruled the village of 11,000 with an iron fist, hid from regulators and residents the fact that they were drinking contaminated water, federal authorities said Thursday, announcing indictments against two former water department officials.
But Chester Stranczek, whose attorney confirms he’s the “Public Official A” mentioned in the 23-count indictment, has not been charged — and likely will not — face criminal charges, his attorney said, because Parkinson’s disease dementia has left him unfit to stand trial.
Facing felony charges are Frank Scaccia, 59, Crestwood’s former certified water operator, and Theresa Neubauer, 53, former water department clerk and supervisor and currently Crestwood’s police chief. Both are accused of lying to environmental regulators for more than 20 years about using a tainted well to supplement the village’s drinking water supply from Lake Michigan, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced in a press release.
The village told residents and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency it was only using Lake Michigan water after 1985, when it discovered a village well had been tainted by vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. But regulators later discovered the village continued to use the well for as much as 20 percent of its water from 1985 to 2007.
The indictment alleges Scaccia and Neubauer acted with unnamed “Public Official A,” an elected Crestwood government official who had authority over the village’s water system, including the use of the well water. Between roughly 1999 and 2007, “Public Official A” signed regulatory documents on behalf of the village.
“Public Official A” is the elder Stranczek, too sick to stand trial, said Chris Gair, who’s been representing Stranczek in some 200 lawsuits filed over the tainted well scandal.
“I feel confident (prosecutors) are not going to come after him because they are aware that his disease has rendered him unfit to stand trial,” Gair said. “He’s no more able to participate in (the lawsuits) than he would in a criminal case. He does not have the mental capacity anymore to do so.”
Stranczek’s son, current Crestwood Mayor Robert Stranczek, could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. Employees at the village hall and police department said he and Neubauer were on “planned vacations.”
Neubauer’s attorney, Thomas Breen, said she learned of the charges while camping with her children.
“All of the counts have to do with her when she had a clerical position when she assisted in filing out forms with information given to her by the water department and management,” he said. “The evidence is going to show she had a clerical job filing out forms.”
Neubauer has been placed on administrative leave “pending further review,” according a village statement.
Scaccia’s attorney did not return messages seeking comment. He was fired in March 2010, the village statement said.
“The government’s investigation — resulting in only these false statements charges — confirms that there is not now and never has been any concern with the safety or quality of the drinking water in Crestwood and the health of our citizens has never been compromised or threatened,” the statement read. “Our citizens’ well-being has always been and will always continue to be our top priority.”
An arm of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined there is no safe level of exposure to vinyl chloride, which also can cause damage to the liver and nervous system.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against the village over the use of the well water, including one by the Illinois attorney general’s office. Crestwood has footed the multi-million-dollar bill for various defense attorneys.
In December, the village settled one of those suits, which covered water bills paid by current and former residents and village business owners. The settlement established a $500,000 fund to give residents partial refunds on their water bills from January 1985 to September 2007 — the years the village was found to have tapped the contaminated well. The village also agreed to a two-year freeze on the cost of vehicle stickers, business licenses and garbage collection fees, among other conditions.
Other lawsuits alleging wrongful death and personal injury still are pending.
Current and former Crestwood residents Thursday said they were outraged and vindicated. Many spoke of their terrible health problems: kidney problems, tumors, immune system disorders and many types of cancer.
But Chester Stranczek, whose attorney confirms he’s the “Public Official A” mentioned in the 23-count indictment, has not been charged — and likely will not — face criminal charges, his attorney said, because Parkinson’s disease dementia has left him unfit to stand trial.
Facing felony charges are Frank Scaccia, 59, Crestwood’s former certified water operator, and Theresa Neubauer, 53, former water department clerk and supervisor and currently Crestwood’s police chief. Both are accused of lying to environmental regulators for more than 20 years about using a tainted well to supplement the village’s drinking water supply from Lake Michigan, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced in a press release.
The village told residents and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency it was only using Lake Michigan water after 1985, when it discovered a village well had been tainted by vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. But regulators later discovered the village continued to use the well for as much as 20 percent of its water from 1985 to 2007.
The indictment alleges Scaccia and Neubauer acted with unnamed “Public Official A,” an elected Crestwood government official who had authority over the village’s water system, including the use of the well water. Between roughly 1999 and 2007, “Public Official A” signed regulatory documents on behalf of the village.
“Public Official A” is the elder Stranczek, too sick to stand trial, said Chris Gair, who’s been representing Stranczek in some 200 lawsuits filed over the tainted well scandal.
“I feel confident (prosecutors) are not going to come after him because they are aware that his disease has rendered him unfit to stand trial,” Gair said. “He’s no more able to participate in (the lawsuits) than he would in a criminal case. He does not have the mental capacity anymore to do so.”
Stranczek’s son, current Crestwood Mayor Robert Stranczek, could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. Employees at the village hall and police department said he and Neubauer were on “planned vacations.”
Neubauer’s attorney, Thomas Breen, said she learned of the charges while camping with her children.
“All of the counts have to do with her when she had a clerical position when she assisted in filing out forms with information given to her by the water department and management,” he said. “The evidence is going to show she had a clerical job filing out forms.”
Neubauer has been placed on administrative leave “pending further review,” according a village statement.
Scaccia’s attorney did not return messages seeking comment. He was fired in March 2010, the village statement said.
“The government’s investigation — resulting in only these false statements charges — confirms that there is not now and never has been any concern with the safety or quality of the drinking water in Crestwood and the health of our citizens has never been compromised or threatened,” the statement read. “Our citizens’ well-being has always been and will always continue to be our top priority.”
An arm of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined there is no safe level of exposure to vinyl chloride, which also can cause damage to the liver and nervous system.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against the village over the use of the well water, including one by the Illinois attorney general’s office. Crestwood has footed the multi-million-dollar bill for various defense attorneys.
In December, the village settled one of those suits, which covered water bills paid by current and former residents and village business owners. The settlement established a $500,000 fund to give residents partial refunds on their water bills from January 1985 to September 2007 — the years the village was found to have tapped the contaminated well. The village also agreed to a two-year freeze on the cost of vehicle stickers, business licenses and garbage collection fees, among other conditions.
Other lawsuits alleging wrongful death and personal injury still are pending.
Current and former Crestwood residents Thursday said they were outraged and vindicated. Many spoke of their terrible health problems: kidney problems, tumors, immune system disorders and many types of cancer.
2011年8月10日星期三
Farmer's wife treated for rare brain disease
The wintry morning of Dec 18, 2010, was just another day for Omwati Singh, a farmer's wife in Haryana's Ballabhgarh, when the 42-year-old woke up at 4 a.m. to complete household chores and accompany her husband to the farms. However, things went topsy-turvy when she collapsed and her family found her unconscious in the kitchen, soaked in sweat and vomit.
The mother of four children was diagnosed with a combination of heart and brain disorders, until she was finally brought to Apollo hospital in the capital where she was treated for a rare state called 'Takotsubo syndrome' - a condition in which the brain closely mimics symptoms of a heart attack.
'We rushed her to the nearest hospital in Faridabad, she was fretting and mumbling. We were told that she had suffered a heart attack and the problem was of both the heart and the brain,' said Umed Singh, Omwati's husband, who sold a chunk of his land in Ballabhgarh to get his wife treated.
Omwati underwent several diagnostic tests, shuttled between hospitals in the national capital region - even as her husband and children stood by her side.
'The same day we came to Apollo Hospital where doctors told her to immediately go for a brain surgery as the problem of the heart was provoked because of brain hemorrhage. She was operated upon the same day, and is fine now,' Umed Singh said, as he sat beside Omwati. The surgery cost him around Rs.6 lakh.
'I was worried for my daughter who was undergoing treatment for kidney stone at that time. But all this happened to me suddenly,' Omwati said.
Doctors said the patient suffered from brain hemorrhage that produced changes in the heart and abnormal widening of the blood vessels in the brain.
'It was a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage causing bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover the brain. She showed symptoms such as headache, blood pressure, drowsiness, vomiting that cannot be easily attributed to a heart or brain disorder,' said Pranav Kumar, senior consultant neurosurgeon who conducted the six-hour-long surgery.
'Titanium clips were placed across the widened blood vessels in the brain. The clips will remain in her brain for lifetime and prevent rupture of vessels,' Pranav Kumar said.
He said that the cause of the disease could have been weakness since birth, head injury, or high cholesterol diet.
For Omwati's family, this is her rebirth. 'God has given a second life to my wife. That is all I can say,' Umed Singh said.
The mother of four children was diagnosed with a combination of heart and brain disorders, until she was finally brought to Apollo hospital in the capital where she was treated for a rare state called 'Takotsubo syndrome' - a condition in which the brain closely mimics symptoms of a heart attack.
'We rushed her to the nearest hospital in Faridabad, she was fretting and mumbling. We were told that she had suffered a heart attack and the problem was of both the heart and the brain,' said Umed Singh, Omwati's husband, who sold a chunk of his land in Ballabhgarh to get his wife treated.
Omwati underwent several diagnostic tests, shuttled between hospitals in the national capital region - even as her husband and children stood by her side.
'The same day we came to Apollo Hospital where doctors told her to immediately go for a brain surgery as the problem of the heart was provoked because of brain hemorrhage. She was operated upon the same day, and is fine now,' Umed Singh said, as he sat beside Omwati. The surgery cost him around Rs.6 lakh.
'I was worried for my daughter who was undergoing treatment for kidney stone at that time. But all this happened to me suddenly,' Omwati said.
Doctors said the patient suffered from brain hemorrhage that produced changes in the heart and abnormal widening of the blood vessels in the brain.
'It was a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage causing bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover the brain. She showed symptoms such as headache, blood pressure, drowsiness, vomiting that cannot be easily attributed to a heart or brain disorder,' said Pranav Kumar, senior consultant neurosurgeon who conducted the six-hour-long surgery.
'Titanium clips were placed across the widened blood vessels in the brain. The clips will remain in her brain for lifetime and prevent rupture of vessels,' Pranav Kumar said.
He said that the cause of the disease could have been weakness since birth, head injury, or high cholesterol diet.
For Omwati's family, this is her rebirth. 'God has given a second life to my wife. That is all I can say,' Umed Singh said.
2011年8月9日星期二
Block Party planned for Riley Children's Foundation
A Block Party, including fun, food and games, will be held to support the Riley Children's Foundation August 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of 1700 Lincoln Way.
"We have all kinds of games for kids," said Linda Rinkel, owner of House of Stitches. "Things for adults to do like food and fun. There will be music, magic and a clown."
Rinkel has worked hard to make this the second annual Block Party. There will be a raffle drawing and ticketed gift baskets filled with gift certificates that have been donated by local restaurants, a video store and the Indianapolis Children's Museum.
Included in the Block Party is the Midwest Stash Exchange. At the Stash Exchange, people are invited to shop, swap and sell needlework related stash. The funds are raised through table rental.
"They can buy, sell and trade so it's like a big garage sale for stitchers," said Rinkel.
All of the funds raised from the Block Party go to the Riley Foundation, providing all kinds of activities, crafts, games and toys for kids while they are at Riley.
"If they had to have an icky procedure, there was something fun waiting for them at the end," said Rinkel.
Rinkel believes in supporting Riley because she said she has seen the love and care they provide for kids. Her 6-year-old granddaughter, Grace, has visited Riley on several occasions due to complications with a kidney stone.
"It was a problem with the kidney, and the little tube that connects it to the bladder," said her mother, Sarah Rinkel. "We thought she had a kidney stone, but they found a bigger problem once they took a closer look."
Grace had one major procedure, and she has been back several times since then for visits.
"We did 14 visits down the road to Riley in one summer," said her father, Jon Rinkel.
As far as her parents know, Grace is making a good recovery, and they hope to have their last visit to Riley in December. Grace's parents express their gratitude towards Riley, and the compassion they have for children and their families.
"I can't say enough good things about Riley Hospital," said Jon. "You can tell that everybody there loves kids and wants to work with kids. It's just a phenomenal place."
Last year the Block Party raised $1,620, and they hope to raise even more this year.
"We have all kinds of games for kids," said Linda Rinkel, owner of House of Stitches. "Things for adults to do like food and fun. There will be music, magic and a clown."
Rinkel has worked hard to make this the second annual Block Party. There will be a raffle drawing and ticketed gift baskets filled with gift certificates that have been donated by local restaurants, a video store and the Indianapolis Children's Museum.
Included in the Block Party is the Midwest Stash Exchange. At the Stash Exchange, people are invited to shop, swap and sell needlework related stash. The funds are raised through table rental.
"They can buy, sell and trade so it's like a big garage sale for stitchers," said Rinkel.
All of the funds raised from the Block Party go to the Riley Foundation, providing all kinds of activities, crafts, games and toys for kids while they are at Riley.
"If they had to have an icky procedure, there was something fun waiting for them at the end," said Rinkel.
Rinkel believes in supporting Riley because she said she has seen the love and care they provide for kids. Her 6-year-old granddaughter, Grace, has visited Riley on several occasions due to complications with a kidney stone.
"It was a problem with the kidney, and the little tube that connects it to the bladder," said her mother, Sarah Rinkel. "We thought she had a kidney stone, but they found a bigger problem once they took a closer look."
Grace had one major procedure, and she has been back several times since then for visits.
"We did 14 visits down the road to Riley in one summer," said her father, Jon Rinkel.
As far as her parents know, Grace is making a good recovery, and they hope to have their last visit to Riley in December. Grace's parents express their gratitude towards Riley, and the compassion they have for children and their families.
"I can't say enough good things about Riley Hospital," said Jon. "You can tell that everybody there loves kids and wants to work with kids. It's just a phenomenal place."
Last year the Block Party raised $1,620, and they hope to raise even more this year.
2011年8月8日星期一
Navigating the Difficult Road to All-American Wrestler
When given the choice of either grappling with the nation’s toughest wrestlers or having to battle kidney stones, Barrington’s varsity wrestler Jared Parvinmehr feels it is any easy choice.
“I would rather wrestle,” he said after finishing fifth in the Greco-Roman ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships held at Fargo, N.D.
“I tried to wrestle with the kidney stones” in an earlier tournament, Parvinmehr, the Greco All-American went on to say. “But that area (of the body) was just too tender.”
Contending with kidney stones wasn’t exactly in Parvinmehr’s plan when he began his summer wrestling, which started by winning state in freestyle at 112 pounds; rather he was focused on gearing up for the nation’s best wrestlers.
Moving on to compete in the Central Regional Tournament in Indiana, Parvinmehr continued his impressive wrestling by qualifying for the Fargo National Tournament with his first-place finish in both freestyle and Greco in the 112-pound weight category.
Unfortunately, it was the time off between the regional and national tournaments, while participating in the Junior Duals in Oklahoma, which forced Parvinmehr to the sidelines with kidney stones, despite attempting to wrestle with the ailment.
With a small window of time remaining before the Greco-Roman portion of the National Tournament in Fargo, Parvinmehr, with the rest of Izzy Style School of Wrestling, headed to the University of Illinois and began the daunting task of cutting weight in preparation for the elite competition in Fargo. Cutting weight is not relatively new for the wrestlers, but Parvinmehr did spend much of his varsity season wrestling above his natural weight category, when he wrestled at 119.
“I was conditioning and dieting all to cut weight without affecting technique,” Parvinmehr said of his extensive and exhausting workouts that would last all day.
And the extra workload paid off for him.
He had wrestled in the Fargo tournament in previous years but had failed to crack the top 10. But Parvinmehr wouldn’t lose his first match this year until the later rounds, when he faced last year’s 98-pound Greco-Roman champion, and this year’s eventual champion in the 112 division, Colton Howell of Missouri. Howell would defeat the Barrington wrestler by only the narrowest of margins in the two periods 1-0, 1-0.
Despite the difficult loss, Parvinmehr stayed focused and on track in the tournament, thanks to the guidance of Stanford’s assistant wrestling coach Ray Blake.
“Coach (Ray) knew how to fire me up,” Parvinmehr said of getting to work with and pick the brain of the collegiate coach. “He knew what to say to me, and he gave me good advice.”
But the conversations didn’t mention having to face another All-American, since the level of competition wouldn’t taper off in the later rounds. Facing Hawaii’s Cassidy Oshiro, Parvinmehr suffered another heartbreakingly close loss that would have had him wrestling for third place in his final match, but instead positioned him for at a fifth place finish in the tournament.
Parvinmehr’s final bout, to decide fifth and sixth place, was not going to end as closely as the previous rounds. Parvinmehr stayed aggressive and was able to win on technical fall 7-0, 10-3 securing the fifth-place finish in the National Tournament.
“It feels amazing,” Parvinmehr said of the recognition of being an All-American for his fifth-place finish, “and something I wouldn’t have thought was going to happen.”
The win may move Parvinmehr up in the United States’ future Olympian ratings, too. Parvinmehr is ranked second in the nation with 800 earned points from competing in various meets and matches, trailing Georgia's Darshawn Sharp by only 75 points.
Parvinmehr was hoping to add to his point total and build on his recent success during the freestyle portion of the tournament, but he was unable to because he had to wrestle two classes above his normal weight due to his inability to cut the necessary weight by weigh-ins.
Cutting weight isn’t something new for most wrestlers but it is something relatively new to Parvinmehr, who was used to wrestling at the 119 category on the Bronco varsity team and thus needed to keep weight on. However, wrestling at 125 pounds left little room for error in Parvinmehr’s bracket, and the extra weight he carried proved too much, as he was eventually eliminated by the third round.
Even with the early elimination from the freestyle portion of the tournament Parvinmehr isn’t ready to take time off.
“I would rather wrestle,” he said after finishing fifth in the Greco-Roman ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships held at Fargo, N.D.
“I tried to wrestle with the kidney stones” in an earlier tournament, Parvinmehr, the Greco All-American went on to say. “But that area (of the body) was just too tender.”
Contending with kidney stones wasn’t exactly in Parvinmehr’s plan when he began his summer wrestling, which started by winning state in freestyle at 112 pounds; rather he was focused on gearing up for the nation’s best wrestlers.
Moving on to compete in the Central Regional Tournament in Indiana, Parvinmehr continued his impressive wrestling by qualifying for the Fargo National Tournament with his first-place finish in both freestyle and Greco in the 112-pound weight category.
Unfortunately, it was the time off between the regional and national tournaments, while participating in the Junior Duals in Oklahoma, which forced Parvinmehr to the sidelines with kidney stones, despite attempting to wrestle with the ailment.
With a small window of time remaining before the Greco-Roman portion of the National Tournament in Fargo, Parvinmehr, with the rest of Izzy Style School of Wrestling, headed to the University of Illinois and began the daunting task of cutting weight in preparation for the elite competition in Fargo. Cutting weight is not relatively new for the wrestlers, but Parvinmehr did spend much of his varsity season wrestling above his natural weight category, when he wrestled at 119.
“I was conditioning and dieting all to cut weight without affecting technique,” Parvinmehr said of his extensive and exhausting workouts that would last all day.
And the extra workload paid off for him.
He had wrestled in the Fargo tournament in previous years but had failed to crack the top 10. But Parvinmehr wouldn’t lose his first match this year until the later rounds, when he faced last year’s 98-pound Greco-Roman champion, and this year’s eventual champion in the 112 division, Colton Howell of Missouri. Howell would defeat the Barrington wrestler by only the narrowest of margins in the two periods 1-0, 1-0.
Despite the difficult loss, Parvinmehr stayed focused and on track in the tournament, thanks to the guidance of Stanford’s assistant wrestling coach Ray Blake.
“Coach (Ray) knew how to fire me up,” Parvinmehr said of getting to work with and pick the brain of the collegiate coach. “He knew what to say to me, and he gave me good advice.”
But the conversations didn’t mention having to face another All-American, since the level of competition wouldn’t taper off in the later rounds. Facing Hawaii’s Cassidy Oshiro, Parvinmehr suffered another heartbreakingly close loss that would have had him wrestling for third place in his final match, but instead positioned him for at a fifth place finish in the tournament.
Parvinmehr’s final bout, to decide fifth and sixth place, was not going to end as closely as the previous rounds. Parvinmehr stayed aggressive and was able to win on technical fall 7-0, 10-3 securing the fifth-place finish in the National Tournament.
“It feels amazing,” Parvinmehr said of the recognition of being an All-American for his fifth-place finish, “and something I wouldn’t have thought was going to happen.”
The win may move Parvinmehr up in the United States’ future Olympian ratings, too. Parvinmehr is ranked second in the nation with 800 earned points from competing in various meets and matches, trailing Georgia's Darshawn Sharp by only 75 points.
Parvinmehr was hoping to add to his point total and build on his recent success during the freestyle portion of the tournament, but he was unable to because he had to wrestle two classes above his normal weight due to his inability to cut the necessary weight by weigh-ins.
Cutting weight isn’t something new for most wrestlers but it is something relatively new to Parvinmehr, who was used to wrestling at the 119 category on the Bronco varsity team and thus needed to keep weight on. However, wrestling at 125 pounds left little room for error in Parvinmehr’s bracket, and the extra weight he carried proved too much, as he was eventually eliminated by the third round.
Even with the early elimination from the freestyle portion of the tournament Parvinmehr isn’t ready to take time off.
2011年8月7日星期日
Kiwis offer home out of jail for Colombians
Two Colombians arrested after entering the country illegally could be out of jail in a week, thanks to the offers of kind-hearted Kiwi families.
Maria Oliva Rosas Peralta, 64, and John Gerardo Medina Fuentes, 33, were arrested in June after using fake passports to come to New Zealand.
Rosas Peralta was scrubbing floors to fund an operation for her 10-year-old son, who cannot walk properly because he has a deformed leg, her lawyer Kevin Smith said.
She was told New Zealand was "the land of milk and honey".
Last week, both Colombians were sentenced to nine months' jail for possessing and using fake passports, and were due to spend half that time in prison before being deported.
If a suitable home were found, they could be granted home detention and would have to spend only about two weeks here before deportation could be organised.
Several families from Lower Hutt to Auckland contacted The Dominion Post after reading about Rosas Peralta's story.
Other families contacted Mr Smith directly and he said yesterday that a family in Upper Hutt had offered to take in Medina Fuentes as well.
Today he will make an application to have the two prisoners released to the Upper Hutt family's residence. He hopes his client and Medina Fuentes could be out of prison in about a week.
Mr Smith said he had been surprised by the response to Saturday's story. "I had been doing the rounds asking for help. They've got nothing, just the clothes they stand up in."
For Lower Hutt couple Maree and Kevin Crighton, reading about Rosas Peralta's plight reminded them of their own experiences in Bogota, the Colombian capital. Their son has lived there for four years with his girlfriend and the Crightons said Colombians had always shown them kindness. "They just embrace people, you know – when we were staying with the girlfriend's family, we were treated like part of the family."
Mrs Crighton said it was "a pretty sad crime" that Rosas Peralta had committed. "I can't understand why she thought she could find work when she didn't speak English. It's such a long way to travel."
Mr Smith told the district court last week his client could not speak English, and had spent her time in Tawa's Arohata Prison in self-imposed solitary confinement, depressed and suffering from kidney stones.
Whanganui woman Joy Clark said reading Rosas Peralta's story gave her nightmares. Ms Clark has a son with special needs who is the same age as Rosas Peralta's son who needs a leg operation, and she could not bear the thought of her not being able to contact her family. Whether or not Rosas Peralta came to stay with her, Ms Clark planned to offer assistance any way she could.
Maria Oliva Rosas Peralta, 64, and John Gerardo Medina Fuentes, 33, were arrested in June after using fake passports to come to New Zealand.
Rosas Peralta was scrubbing floors to fund an operation for her 10-year-old son, who cannot walk properly because he has a deformed leg, her lawyer Kevin Smith said.
She was told New Zealand was "the land of milk and honey".
Last week, both Colombians were sentenced to nine months' jail for possessing and using fake passports, and were due to spend half that time in prison before being deported.
If a suitable home were found, they could be granted home detention and would have to spend only about two weeks here before deportation could be organised.
Several families from Lower Hutt to Auckland contacted The Dominion Post after reading about Rosas Peralta's story.
Other families contacted Mr Smith directly and he said yesterday that a family in Upper Hutt had offered to take in Medina Fuentes as well.
Today he will make an application to have the two prisoners released to the Upper Hutt family's residence. He hopes his client and Medina Fuentes could be out of prison in about a week.
Mr Smith said he had been surprised by the response to Saturday's story. "I had been doing the rounds asking for help. They've got nothing, just the clothes they stand up in."
For Lower Hutt couple Maree and Kevin Crighton, reading about Rosas Peralta's plight reminded them of their own experiences in Bogota, the Colombian capital. Their son has lived there for four years with his girlfriend and the Crightons said Colombians had always shown them kindness. "They just embrace people, you know – when we were staying with the girlfriend's family, we were treated like part of the family."
Mrs Crighton said it was "a pretty sad crime" that Rosas Peralta had committed. "I can't understand why she thought she could find work when she didn't speak English. It's such a long way to travel."
Mr Smith told the district court last week his client could not speak English, and had spent her time in Tawa's Arohata Prison in self-imposed solitary confinement, depressed and suffering from kidney stones.
Whanganui woman Joy Clark said reading Rosas Peralta's story gave her nightmares. Ms Clark has a son with special needs who is the same age as Rosas Peralta's son who needs a leg operation, and she could not bear the thought of her not being able to contact her family. Whether or not Rosas Peralta came to stay with her, Ms Clark planned to offer assistance any way she could.
2011年8月3日星期三
'Boiling with hatred'
Whether it is exploding melons or pigs pumped full of steroids to produce lean meat, many in China simply do not trust what is put on their dinner tables.
This worries the authorities, anxious that people will lose trust in a government if it cannot ensure the safety of what they eat.
Little Donkey Farm worker These part-time farmers are the lucky few who have the time - and money - to produce their own food
That confidence hit rock bottom three years ago when news of China's biggest food-safety scandal broke.
Melamine-tainted baby formula killed at least six children and 300,000 others fell ill.
Wang Gang is still living with the consequences. His son - Zi Yuan - developed kidney stones after being fed the baby formula.
Mr Wang continues to worry about his Zi Yuan's health. He wants justice for his son.
"I think the government needs to bear responsibility," he says, standing in his kitchen surrounded by papers and packets of baby formula which he has kept for three years.
"Our court case keeps getting delayed. I'm boiling with hatred over this but I'm trying to control myself."
The Chinese authorities have enacted stricter policies to ensure food safety.
Wang Zi Yuan Wang Zi Yuan developed kidney stones after being fed the tainted baby formula
It includes a directive from the Supreme Court calling for the death penalty for cases in which people die as a result of poor food safety.
But regulations are often flouted in China. And with food price inflation rising, some producers will continue to cut corners in order to fatten up the bottom-line.
After a hard day's work, the group of young professionals at the Beijing co-operative farm retired to an upmarket apartment.
They cooked a meal using the fresh produce they had harvested.
"It definitely tastes better when you grow it yourself," says one of them.
But they are the lucky few, who have the time - and the money - to produce their own food.
This worries the authorities, anxious that people will lose trust in a government if it cannot ensure the safety of what they eat.
Little Donkey Farm worker These part-time farmers are the lucky few who have the time - and money - to produce their own food
That confidence hit rock bottom three years ago when news of China's biggest food-safety scandal broke.
Melamine-tainted baby formula killed at least six children and 300,000 others fell ill.
Wang Gang is still living with the consequences. His son - Zi Yuan - developed kidney stones after being fed the baby formula.
Mr Wang continues to worry about his Zi Yuan's health. He wants justice for his son.
"I think the government needs to bear responsibility," he says, standing in his kitchen surrounded by papers and packets of baby formula which he has kept for three years.
"Our court case keeps getting delayed. I'm boiling with hatred over this but I'm trying to control myself."
The Chinese authorities have enacted stricter policies to ensure food safety.
Wang Zi Yuan Wang Zi Yuan developed kidney stones after being fed the tainted baby formula
It includes a directive from the Supreme Court calling for the death penalty for cases in which people die as a result of poor food safety.
But regulations are often flouted in China. And with food price inflation rising, some producers will continue to cut corners in order to fatten up the bottom-line.
After a hard day's work, the group of young professionals at the Beijing co-operative farm retired to an upmarket apartment.
They cooked a meal using the fresh produce they had harvested.
"It definitely tastes better when you grow it yourself," says one of them.
But they are the lucky few, who have the time - and the money - to produce their own food.
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