A visit to a neighbor's pond led Tim and Cindy Hammond to build theirs.
"We were just taking a walk in the neighborhood," said Cindy. "We saw a neighbor who had a pond. He invited us back to look at it. I said, 'That's really pretty. I'd like one of those one day,' and he was off like a shot."
That was about seven years ago.
Their pond -- with waterfall and stream -- is now the focal point of the Swansea yard. From the second-story deck, you can hear water tumbling over rocks and see clumps of yellow irises with their feet stuck in the 18-by-12-by-3-foot pool. Impatiens and hostas dot the landscape.
Mulched paths wind through woods that stretch across the back of the yard. It's kind of like the English woodlands garden at Missouri Botanical Garden, which the Hammonds visited for inspiration.
"I love it," said Cindy, 59, sitting on the deck after work. "It turned out way better than I imagined. I think it's great. We sit out in the evenings. In the morning, we drink coffee. It's very peaceful. We hear the stream. The back reminds me of the Missouri Ozarks. It's just very, very peaceful."
Hostas, fern and wildflowers such as Virginia bluebells, trillium, Solomon's seal and mayapples do well in the shady setting.
"We let nature take its course," Tim said. "It's a lot easier than fighting it."
The wood-chip pathways are lined with fallen limbs. The Hammonds replace the chips every three years because they either sink, wash away or rot.
"It's low maintenance," said Cindy. "There aren't a lot of weeds. We do put mulch out by the pond."
The Hammonds have lived on the partially wooded lot for 30 years. Cindy grew up in Belleville. Tim, born in Toronto, grew up in southern California, and came to the Midwest because of a job. He's a retired civilian contracting officer from Scott Air Force Base. They have three grown daughters, two grandsons and a granddaughter on the way.
Tim built the lower deck during his first year of retirement.
"He's very goal-oriented," said his wife.
The pond project came next.
"The girls' playhouse used to be there," said Tim, 68. "When they grew up, we took the playhouse down."
The spot was just right for the pond project. He started by laying out a hose in a kidney shape.
"I had nothing to do with it," said Cindy. "I have no sense of creativity. He would tell me and talk about it. I was clueless."
"It wouldn't be something for someone not an engineering type," said Cindy.
"I enjoy the challenge," said Tim.
Shortly after, he began digging the 3-foot deep pond, he hired two teen neighbors to help.
"I knew their work ethic," said Tim. "They were happy to have the job. I fed them sandwiches and made them take breaks. The boys did the heavy work and moved stone."
The dirt piled from the hole became the stream bed.
"It grew into something much larger ... When I had to do engineering, I started looking at books, going to pond stores, talking to people to determine the best type of equipment."
For the pond, he purchased an Aquascape system that included a heavy rubber liner, bio falls, the skimmer and filtering system that's rated for 8,000 gallons an hour. The 3,500-gallon pond turns over a couple times an hour, he said.
Costs escalated.
"He told me a certain amount," said Cindy, a information technology business manager for AT&T. "It was three times that amount."
Tim estimates he spent $3,000 initially, not including landscaping and rock, pathways and shrubs.
"I probably have $10,000 to $15,000 in it," he said. "I am in the wrong business. Rock is expensive. I hand-picked boulders and rocks. I was afraid to tell Cindy how much it cost.
"I got a little (rock) at a time so she wouldn't notice, and I pay the bills."
But looking out from the upper-level eck onto the pretty, parklike setting makes it all worthwhile.
"We spend hours out here," said Tim. "It's peaceful. It's our little piece of heaven."
"We had the family over," said Cindy. "Both grandsons are almost 2. They came a month ago and had an absolute ball.
"They played king of the mountain, and had fun throwing rocks into the pond. They never got tired of throwing rocks in the pond."
Critters have discovered the water project, too. Blue heron, raccoons and "something like a weasel" visit and take a swipe at the goldfish. A few frogs moved in to let them know they have a healthy set-up.
In the evening, timers turn on landscape lights around the water. Tiki torches add atmosphere.
"It's kind of like 'Survivor' island," said Cindy, "and we are right behind Schnuck's."
Tim's water feature advice:
-- Don't skimp on the liner. Get the best you can afford. "I bought very heavy, top-of-the-line stuff. At the time, Aquascape was pretty much premiere."
-- Roots can be a problem. Cut them back so they don't pierece the liner. It was hot, heavy work, but worthwhile, said Tim.
-- Cantilever edges of the pond. When the rock rims over the edges, fish can swim underneath. That way, cats and other critters can't get them.
-- Consider upkeep and maintenance. "There is some upkeep work," said Tim. "I think it's a little understated. Ours is in a forest. There are lots of leaves. I spend an hour a week tops, cleaning little things such as the filter basket."
-- Tim recommends emptying and cleaning the falls and pond every two or three years. He uses a powerwasher to clean it.
-- "If I run the pump 24/7, it costs $75 a month," Tim said. "We turn it off in the winter and put in a pond heater so there's oxygen (for the fish). Several go down and hide. It's about three feet deep. They go to sleep and we don't see them at all."
-- Watch your water level and the ground around the waterfall and pond. Theirs settled in places and had to be built up.
2011年5月18日星期三
Adjuvant Drugs May Aid Clearance of Some Stones
Adjuvant use of tamsulosin or nifedipine after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) improves stone free rates in patients treated for non-lower pole renal stones 10-20 mm in diameter, Brazilian researchers reported at the American Urological Association 2011 annual meeting.
In a double-blind study, Fabio Vicentini, MD, and colleagues at the University of São Paulo randomly assigned 136 with radioopaque non-lower pole kidney stones to receive daily treatments of 0.4 mg tamsulosin, 20 mg nifedipine, or placebo for up to 30 days after a single session of SWL. Patients were considered successfully treated if they no radiographic evidence of stones or they were asymptomatic with stone fragments 4 mm or less in size at any time during weekly follow-up.
The success rate was 60.5% in the tamsulosin arm, 48.6% in the nifedipine arm, and 36.8% in the placebo group, according to data in the researchers' poster presentation. The differences among the study arms were not statistically significant.
Among patients with 10-20 mm stones, however, those in the tamsulosin and nifedipine had significantly higher success rates (61.9% and 60%, respectively) than placebo recipients (26.1%). The study revealed no significant differences in stone clearance among patients with stones 5-9 mm in size.
Compared with placebo, adverse events rates were significantly higher with nifedipine than placebo (28.5% vs. 2.6%), but not with tamsulosin.
The three treatment arms were similar with respect to pain intensity and time to clearance.
In a double-blind study, Fabio Vicentini, MD, and colleagues at the University of São Paulo randomly assigned 136 with radioopaque non-lower pole kidney stones to receive daily treatments of 0.4 mg tamsulosin, 20 mg nifedipine, or placebo for up to 30 days after a single session of SWL. Patients were considered successfully treated if they no radiographic evidence of stones or they were asymptomatic with stone fragments 4 mm or less in size at any time during weekly follow-up.
The success rate was 60.5% in the tamsulosin arm, 48.6% in the nifedipine arm, and 36.8% in the placebo group, according to data in the researchers' poster presentation. The differences among the study arms were not statistically significant.
Among patients with 10-20 mm stones, however, those in the tamsulosin and nifedipine had significantly higher success rates (61.9% and 60%, respectively) than placebo recipients (26.1%). The study revealed no significant differences in stone clearance among patients with stones 5-9 mm in size.
Compared with placebo, adverse events rates were significantly higher with nifedipine than placebo (28.5% vs. 2.6%), but not with tamsulosin.
The three treatment arms were similar with respect to pain intensity and time to clearance.
Researchers Find New Ties Between Kidney Stone Risk, Treatment And Diet, Statins And Body Fat Distribution
A series of studies that examine the relationship of diet, obesity, nutrition and statin medications were presented to media at a special press conference during the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA).
Total Caloric Intake Modulates Risk for Urinary Stones in Women: Results from The Women's Health Initiative (#2139): While obesity is loosely tied to the risk of kidney stones, researchers in this study from the University of California, San Francisco attempted to discover the exact causal relationship. They found that modifying total daily caloric intake may be an important measure in the reduction of stone disease. The researchers used data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study and identified 78,551 participants who were included based on data related to diet, body mass index (BMI) and occurrence of symptomatic stone disease. Even when adjusted for obesity, total caloric intake conferred an independent risk of stone disease, suggesting that regulating the total number of calories ingested daily may play a significant role in risk reduction for stone disease in obese and overweight people.
Diet, Vegetarianism and Urolithiasis (#2146): Researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, found that meat-heavy diets may be associated with an increased risk of developing kidney stones and that a high intake of fresh fruit, fiber and certain minerals may reduce risk. The team studied 50,617 participants in the Oxford arm of the International Agency for Research on Cancer's European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Project. 202 participants were diagnosed with kidney stones during the follow-up period. Regression analysis was used to examine the association of diet with risk after stratification by sex, method of recruitment and region of residence, and adjusting for smoking and drinking alcohol. Compared to those with a high meat diet, the incidence rate of stones was .71 for moderate meat eaters, .52 for low meat eaters and .52 for fish eaters and vegetarians. Diets with high intake of fresh fruit, and those high in fiber, magnesium, iron and potassium, were associated with a reduction in stone disease. There was no association found with vegetable consumption, calcium or vitamin C.
The Effect of Statin Medications On Urinary Stone Formation: A Ten Year Review of the Armed-Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) Database (#2233): Attempting to clarify the exact cause of kidney stone formation, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco investigated the relationship between hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides) and kidney stones, as well as the impact of statin medications (typically used to treat high cholesterol) on stone formation. Patient records from the AHLTA database were used; 57,320, (36,341 male) were identified with hyperlipidemia. 32,386 patients (20,063 male) were prescribed statin medications including 1,030 (724 male) who developed a stone. While confirming the relationship of urinary stone disease with hyperlipidemia, the researchers found that the use of statin medications was associated with a reduction in risk of stone disease; the effect was seen more prominently in females.
Total Caloric Intake Modulates Risk for Urinary Stones in Women: Results from The Women's Health Initiative (#2139): While obesity is loosely tied to the risk of kidney stones, researchers in this study from the University of California, San Francisco attempted to discover the exact causal relationship. They found that modifying total daily caloric intake may be an important measure in the reduction of stone disease. The researchers used data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study and identified 78,551 participants who were included based on data related to diet, body mass index (BMI) and occurrence of symptomatic stone disease. Even when adjusted for obesity, total caloric intake conferred an independent risk of stone disease, suggesting that regulating the total number of calories ingested daily may play a significant role in risk reduction for stone disease in obese and overweight people.
Diet, Vegetarianism and Urolithiasis (#2146): Researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, found that meat-heavy diets may be associated with an increased risk of developing kidney stones and that a high intake of fresh fruit, fiber and certain minerals may reduce risk. The team studied 50,617 participants in the Oxford arm of the International Agency for Research on Cancer's European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Project. 202 participants were diagnosed with kidney stones during the follow-up period. Regression analysis was used to examine the association of diet with risk after stratification by sex, method of recruitment and region of residence, and adjusting for smoking and drinking alcohol. Compared to those with a high meat diet, the incidence rate of stones was .71 for moderate meat eaters, .52 for low meat eaters and .52 for fish eaters and vegetarians. Diets with high intake of fresh fruit, and those high in fiber, magnesium, iron and potassium, were associated with a reduction in stone disease. There was no association found with vegetable consumption, calcium or vitamin C.
The Effect of Statin Medications On Urinary Stone Formation: A Ten Year Review of the Armed-Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) Database (#2233): Attempting to clarify the exact cause of kidney stone formation, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco investigated the relationship between hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides) and kidney stones, as well as the impact of statin medications (typically used to treat high cholesterol) on stone formation. Patient records from the AHLTA database were used; 57,320, (36,341 male) were identified with hyperlipidemia. 32,386 patients (20,063 male) were prescribed statin medications including 1,030 (724 male) who developed a stone. While confirming the relationship of urinary stone disease with hyperlipidemia, the researchers found that the use of statin medications was associated with a reduction in risk of stone disease; the effect was seen more prominently in females.
2011年5月15日星期日
Toni Morrison Delivers Commencement Speech at Rutgers
Toni Morrison delivered the commencement address to the largest graduating class of Rutgers University in the school's history Sunday morning.
The ceremony was actually only attended by less than half of the eligible graduates--12,890 of them. It was also the first held in the football stadium in Piscataway since the 1960s and was expressly re-tooled to be shorter, less formal and more fun than past commencements.
"We have begun a new tradition at Rutgers--and yet we are here for a very time-honored practice, that of celebrating the achievements of our graduating students," university President Richard McCormick said.
Nobel Prize-winning author Morrison received a standing ovation for her 15-minute address to the graduates. She told the students that they could still make their mark, even in a world that seems to be "breaking apart," physically and emotionally.
"You are your own stories," Morrison told the students. "Bit by bit, step by step, you can change things--the things that need changing," Morrison said.
Morrison was paid $30,000 for the address, the first time Rutgers has paid for a commencement speaker--her fee was paid using a fund provided by PepsiCo as part of the campus vending machine contract, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported.
The ceremony was actually only attended by less than half of the eligible graduates--12,890 of them. It was also the first held in the football stadium in Piscataway since the 1960s and was expressly re-tooled to be shorter, less formal and more fun than past commencements.
"We have begun a new tradition at Rutgers--and yet we are here for a very time-honored practice, that of celebrating the achievements of our graduating students," university President Richard McCormick said.
Nobel Prize-winning author Morrison received a standing ovation for her 15-minute address to the graduates. She told the students that they could still make their mark, even in a world that seems to be "breaking apart," physically and emotionally.
"You are your own stories," Morrison told the students. "Bit by bit, step by step, you can change things--the things that need changing," Morrison said.
Morrison was paid $30,000 for the address, the first time Rutgers has paid for a commencement speaker--her fee was paid using a fund provided by PepsiCo as part of the campus vending machine contract, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported.
PlayStation Network Up and Running Again
Sony’s PlayStation Network service in the United States and Europe is partially restored, after being shut nearly a month ago due to a massive security breach affecting over 100 million online accounts.
Operations are currently limited to online gaming, chat, and music streaming services. Sony told the Associated Press it plans on fully restoring the network by the end of May.
A phased restoration of its Qriocity movie and music services which shares PlayStation Network’s server also began Sunday according to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka.
Limited services will also resume in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East, and Sony plans on restoring service in Asia as well.
The popular PlayStation Network links users worldwide in live play. The system was shut down on April 20 after a hacker attack was discovered. Personal data, including credit card numbers, was at stake, but Sony said Sunday it had not received any reports of illegal fraudulent activity.
Operations are currently limited to online gaming, chat, and music streaming services. Sony told the Associated Press it plans on fully restoring the network by the end of May.
A phased restoration of its Qriocity movie and music services which shares PlayStation Network’s server also began Sunday according to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka.
Limited services will also resume in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East, and Sony plans on restoring service in Asia as well.
The popular PlayStation Network links users worldwide in live play. The system was shut down on April 20 after a hacker attack was discovered. Personal data, including credit card numbers, was at stake, but Sony said Sunday it had not received any reports of illegal fraudulent activity.
Ministry of Agriculture says milk now melamine-free
The quality of the nation's fresh milk has improved and testing shows it is now free from melamine, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The ministry, which oversees the production and collection of fresh milk, is responsible for ensuring its safety.
In an online notice issued by the ministry during the weekend, it said random tests conducted last year and during the first part of this year showed it was melamine-free and that quality was good. The ministry said it will carry out another special campaign soon to continue to guard against the use of the illegal additive.
Melamine is an industrial chemical that people have, at times, added to watered-down milk to make it appear to have a normal protein count.
The notice said more than 20,000 batches of fresh milk were tested and all passed the scrutiny during spot checks throughout 2010 and in the first quarter of this year.
"It shows the safety of fresh milk has significantly improved throughout the country," the ministry said.
During the past year, the ministry has taken steps to close sub-standard milk collection stations, which are partly blamed for the melamine scandal in 2008. It said it closed 6,890 milk collection stations nationwide during the campaign.
The 13,503 registered stations that remain and the 7,980 vehicles used to transport fresh milk are all now being operated under supervision.
The ministry has also trained some 5,000 dairy farmers and technicians on the technology used in the modern milk industry and explained the country's policies concerning dairy products.
However, experts questioned the thoroughness of the oversight.
"The government mainly cracks down on dairy farmers and milk collectors but pays little attention to milk's circulation, which involves distributors," Wang Dingmian, former vice-chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Dairy Association, told China Daily on Sunday.
Wang said milk distributors are in a state of anarchy and claimed no department has been trying to fill that regulatory gap.
Food safety experts also said the authority should make changes in the way it carries out spot checks so tainted milk does not slip through the loopholes.
"A good sample cannot ensure all the other products from the same batch are also good," said Sang Liwei, a food-safety lawyer in Beijing and a representative of the Global Food Safety Forum, a non-governmental organization.
Wang said, most of the time, dairy farms and businesses "make preparations for" the inspections. He claimed farms and businesses are warned by the local authorities to "be prepared" before the food safety commission swoops to conduct a spot check.
"The watchdog cannot see the real situation if the shady food processors are hidden and the safety loopholes still exist," Wang said.
Nationwide outrage about the safety of milk erupted in 2008 when melamine-tainted baby formula sickened about 300,000 infants and took the lives of six children who had kidney stones and other kidney damage.
Following the scandal, the government took steps to crack down on illegal practices in the dairy industry but reports about unsafe milk continue to surface from time to time.
Several dairy farms in Sanmen county, Zhejiang province, were recently found to have been adding illegal additives and using syringe bottles that had been discarded by hospitals as milk containers, according to the Oriental Morning Post on Sunday.
Earlier, police in Chongqing municipality confiscated 26,000 kilograms of milk powder that was tainted with melamine and that had been produced before 2009.
The ministry, which oversees the production and collection of fresh milk, is responsible for ensuring its safety.
In an online notice issued by the ministry during the weekend, it said random tests conducted last year and during the first part of this year showed it was melamine-free and that quality was good. The ministry said it will carry out another special campaign soon to continue to guard against the use of the illegal additive.
Melamine is an industrial chemical that people have, at times, added to watered-down milk to make it appear to have a normal protein count.
The notice said more than 20,000 batches of fresh milk were tested and all passed the scrutiny during spot checks throughout 2010 and in the first quarter of this year.
"It shows the safety of fresh milk has significantly improved throughout the country," the ministry said.
During the past year, the ministry has taken steps to close sub-standard milk collection stations, which are partly blamed for the melamine scandal in 2008. It said it closed 6,890 milk collection stations nationwide during the campaign.
The 13,503 registered stations that remain and the 7,980 vehicles used to transport fresh milk are all now being operated under supervision.
The ministry has also trained some 5,000 dairy farmers and technicians on the technology used in the modern milk industry and explained the country's policies concerning dairy products.
However, experts questioned the thoroughness of the oversight.
"The government mainly cracks down on dairy farmers and milk collectors but pays little attention to milk's circulation, which involves distributors," Wang Dingmian, former vice-chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Dairy Association, told China Daily on Sunday.
Wang said milk distributors are in a state of anarchy and claimed no department has been trying to fill that regulatory gap.
Food safety experts also said the authority should make changes in the way it carries out spot checks so tainted milk does not slip through the loopholes.
"A good sample cannot ensure all the other products from the same batch are also good," said Sang Liwei, a food-safety lawyer in Beijing and a representative of the Global Food Safety Forum, a non-governmental organization.
Wang said, most of the time, dairy farms and businesses "make preparations for" the inspections. He claimed farms and businesses are warned by the local authorities to "be prepared" before the food safety commission swoops to conduct a spot check.
"The watchdog cannot see the real situation if the shady food processors are hidden and the safety loopholes still exist," Wang said.
Nationwide outrage about the safety of milk erupted in 2008 when melamine-tainted baby formula sickened about 300,000 infants and took the lives of six children who had kidney stones and other kidney damage.
Following the scandal, the government took steps to crack down on illegal practices in the dairy industry but reports about unsafe milk continue to surface from time to time.
Several dairy farms in Sanmen county, Zhejiang province, were recently found to have been adding illegal additives and using syringe bottles that had been discarded by hospitals as milk containers, according to the Oriental Morning Post on Sunday.
Earlier, police in Chongqing municipality confiscated 26,000 kilograms of milk powder that was tainted with melamine and that had been produced before 2009.
2011年5月10日星期二
Police complaint against hospital over patient’s death
A Police complaint was filed in Waghodia police station on Monday by the relatives of a 40-year-old woman who died in Dheeraj Hospital in Pipariya village. The woman's relatives have alleged that the hospital authorities moved her to a private clinic of a hospital doctor in his personal car after they failed to conduct a laparoscopy operation for her minor kidney stones.
The Waghodia police said Shahnawaz Khan Pathan the husband of the deceased woman, Najma Khan Pathan, has now lodged a complaint with the police asking the Forensic Department of Sir Sayajirao General Hospital to conduct a post mortem.
It was on April 1, that Najma, a zari embroidery worker from Hathikhana was admitted to Dheeraj Hospital with kidney stones.
Shahnawaz told The Indian Express: “We were told by the hospital that they would conduct a laparoscopy surgery to remove her stones since it was a textbook case. But due to unavailability of a laparoscopy expert, they decided conduct an open surgery. As per the hospital reports, there were 42 stitches in her belly. But her condition did not improve after the surgery. After staying in the hospital for a week, we again approached the doctor who had operated her when her condition deteriorated.”
Shahnawaz, who works with the Jaipur Golden Transport Company in Vadodara, told the police in the complaint that when the hospital failed to improve her condition, one of the doctors, Dr Kuldeep Agarwal, brought her to his private clinic in Alkapuri in his car for treatment. "We did not understand why they had to take her to the doctor's private clinic when all the facilities were available in the hospital. But we did not know much about medical treatment, and assumed that it was for her good,” Shahnawaz said.
The Waghodia police said Shahnawaz Khan Pathan the husband of the deceased woman, Najma Khan Pathan, has now lodged a complaint with the police asking the Forensic Department of Sir Sayajirao General Hospital to conduct a post mortem.
It was on April 1, that Najma, a zari embroidery worker from Hathikhana was admitted to Dheeraj Hospital with kidney stones.
Shahnawaz told The Indian Express: “We were told by the hospital that they would conduct a laparoscopy surgery to remove her stones since it was a textbook case. But due to unavailability of a laparoscopy expert, they decided conduct an open surgery. As per the hospital reports, there were 42 stitches in her belly. But her condition did not improve after the surgery. After staying in the hospital for a week, we again approached the doctor who had operated her when her condition deteriorated.”
Shahnawaz, who works with the Jaipur Golden Transport Company in Vadodara, told the police in the complaint that when the hospital failed to improve her condition, one of the doctors, Dr Kuldeep Agarwal, brought her to his private clinic in Alkapuri in his car for treatment. "We did not understand why they had to take her to the doctor's private clinic when all the facilities were available in the hospital. But we did not know much about medical treatment, and assumed that it was for her good,” Shahnawaz said.
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